


Current

by fuelfox



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Banter, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Cheerleaders, Danny Mahlealani is under appreciated, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Male-Female Friendship, Scott is a Good Friend, Sea Nymph, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Stiles and OC do not get along, for instance, frenemies to lovers, if you know what i mean, mature themes, mermaid, mermaid oc, neighbor Scott McCall, step brother Danny, typical high school tropes, well more like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 37
Words: 312,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuelfox/pseuds/fuelfox
Summary: Chapter 36 is out now!Raymona Nerine felt lucky to be such good friends with her next door neighbor, Scott McCall. Ever since she moved in at the age of four, the two were almost inseparable, going together like peanut butter and jelly. She might even consider him her best friend if only he didn’t have that one flaw. . Scott McCall was a package deal. Wherever he was, his trouble making best friend Stiles Stilinski was not too far behind (often a few steps ahead).Normally, Ray would do anything for Scott. Sadly, now that “anything” required spending an awful lot of time with the one boy her mother doesn’t approve of, being chased by murderous supernatural beings, and hiding from hunters that want them all dead. And to make matters worse, her 16th birthday brought on her own set of supernatural problems.The FINAL chapter of season 3A is up!! Whoo!!-Slow burn Frenemies to Lovers! StilesxOC-Best friend and Neighbor! Scott McCall-Step brother! Danny Mahealani-BrOTP! Isaac LaheyxOCChat with me onTumblr
Relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 91
Kudos: 189





	1. Midnight Hike

The sun was setting on a clouded horizon while a young boy chased after a foam football that had just barely slipped through his grasp. His older sister, Raymona, had shifted her attention from the game of catch to stare out at the ocean one last time. An overwhelming sense of sadness washed over her because she knew this would be the last time seeing it for a very, very long time. She wished this day could last forever, but with it being winter, the sun set so early. If only she had one more day to walk along the beach. .

But before she could mull over that realization for too long, a bright orange foam football hit her on the side of her head.

“Ow! What the hell you little sh-!”

“Raymona!” Her mother shouted from the doorway to the last trailer on the park. The young girl was surprised her mother could hear that from so far. She rolled her eyes as her mother continued to yell out at the two children, “Lets go. You two have school tomorrow. We can’t be getting home late!”

“Sonia, stay for dinner at least,” her ex husband offered from his torn up lawn chair that was facing the sea.

“If we leave now, we’ll be lucky to make it home by ten! This has already gone on for too long.”

Sonia began to haul her son’s suitcase into her van. Raymona trudged back to the trailer to collect her own things. Before she could exit the small home, her father came barreling in, holding his beer and motioning for her to keep quiet.

“I have to give you your birthday present before your mother sees,” he whispered. His beer clanked onto what little counter space was left free from papers and junk. After reaching deep into a drawer he pulled out a necklace.

It had a very thin string, almost resembling rope, that looped through a misshapen hole punctured through the top of a jagged teal stone with orange spots. Raymona reached out for it and instantly felt lighter. .like a dark cloud she didn’t know was clouding her heart had whisked away. The stone felt cool and smooth in her palm.

“I know, I know. Your birthday isn’t for another month, but I won’t be seeing you and thought you could have it just a little bit early for when you’re missing being here.”

She didn’t know what to say because the stone actually somehow made her feel better about leaving. After slipping the necklace into her jacket pocket, so that her mother wouldn’t see, she hugged her father and mumbled a thank you.

Then it was time to head off to Beacon Hills where nothing exciting ever happened and she would spend the next six months counting down her time until she could see the ocean.

However, things don't always go as planned for Raymona. This was probably due to the mischievous friends of hers, well one totally innocent friend and his evil little sidekick she hated with all her heart. .

She had been lying comfortably in bed thirty minutes before she had planned to sleep which meant Raymona had time to squeeze in one sitcom episode before she had to really call it a night. Her laptop was set on her lap as she leaned back against the headboard. Just before she put her headphones in, her least favorite sound screeched through her open window like a warning signal.

Raymona shot up from her bed and hurried to the window to shut it. She didn’t want the crazy boy, who had just come to a halt with his jeep's over used brakes in front of her house, to come up with the idea of her open window being an invitation to bother her. Her efforts were futile, however. When she approached the window, she made eye contact with the god of mischief himself, Stiles Stilinski. He grinned from ear to ear and waved as he began jogging across her lawn.

Maybe her neighbor’s friend would have just skipped over her entirely and gone straight to Scott’s house if she hadn’t come to the window. She had been gone for the last two weeks of winter break, out of sight, out of mind. The neighbor boy Scott was one of her closest friends, if not her best. They spent many nights on the roof talking if they didn’t feel like playing xbox. They had been inseparable since Ray moved next door when they were five, but Scott was a package deal. His best friend was never too far behind, and not nearly as sweet and innocent as the neighbor boy.

"Don't you dare climb up the side of my house again, Stilinski. You know my mom'll kill you if she catches you."

Stiles breathlessly laughed at her threat and was already halfway up the ladder her mother’s new husband had left out from taking down the Christmas lights that afternoon. He hadn’t finished the chore yet because the sun set so quickly this time of year.

"Okay well first of all, your mom loves me. She even left me this ladder to climb up which is much safer than the tree. Remind me to thank her. Second,-" he paused as he started to drag himself through Raymona's window. She stepped back and rolled her eyes as he fell face first into the floor. After groaning a bit, he pulled his legs in and continued, "Second of all, it's too late to use the front door."

"If it's too late to use our front door, then why come over at all?"

"Because you were ignoring my phone calls!" He whined and threw his hands up in the air. She stepped forward and held a hand over his loud mouth, glancing nervously at the bedroom door.

"Shh! It's past ten on a school night. I can't be caught having a boy in my room again, so keep it down."

As soon as Raymona removed her hand, he smirked and asked, "Have you been caught having a boy in your room so late before? Was he being loud too, or was it you?"

"Oh my god, Stilinski. If you don't get out of my house in twenty seconds then your father will be here soon to pick ME up for murdering you and chopping you up into bite sized pieces that I can feed to my cat." The two teens had a few moments of silence, just staring each other down with the deadliest looks their young and innocent faces could muster until Stiles piped up again with his annoying voice.

"Were you born with this much rage and hate or did you learn it throughout your lifetime?"

"Get out of my house."

"I will, but first...," he turned on his heel and walked over to her closet to pull out a sweater.

"You gonna jack off to it?" Raymona asked in a bored tone.

"Maybe later, but for now you are going to put it on and come with me because if you had been answering my phone calls you would know that we are going out tonight."

Everything in her brain was suddenly working ten times faster, but all motor functions were shut down. Raymona stared at her sweater in his hand like it was a weapon threatening to kill her. Had Stiles just asked her out in his own weird way? _We are going out tonight._ That sounded weirdly romantic, right? He climbed up the side of her house for Christ sakes. It was spontaneous, adventurous, and even dangerous because it was so late on a school night. This was pretty much everything a girl could want in a cheesy romcom. Did Stiles secretly know how to woe a girl? Was Scott informed about all this?

For years Raymona complained about how annoying Stiles was, but he wasn’t really a bad guy. She didn't hate him, she just. . Argued with him constantly. Her step brother Danny and his boyfriend were constantly fighting and making up. They’d been together for seven months, which was pretty long for a high school couple. Maybe Stiles and Ray had that same chaotic chemistry Danny shared with his boyfriend? They say opposites attract, so this could work out. And if they didn’t last, maybe they would at least stay together long enough to go to Winter Formal.

But would that ruin their dynamic with Scott? Would he take her side or Stilinski’s once everything blew up, because it definitely would blow up in their faces. What the hell was Stiles thinking asking her out?

The boy in question had started touching everything in her room. He picked up the necklace her dad had given her earlier that day. It seemed to sparkle under the golden light of her desk lamp.

“Is this a crystal? Are you trying to be like those witch girls on Tumblr?”

Ray snatched the necklace and her sweater from him. “My dad gave that to me for my birthday, so keep your greasy fingers off of it.”

“But your birthday isn’t until February 7th.”

“Yeah well I doubt I’ll be able to make the five hour trip to the coast before summer, so it was either give it to me a month early or get it five months late.” She put the pendant on to avoid Stiles grabbing it again. Knowing him, he’d somehow manage to break it.

"Ray, don’t you want to have a bit of fun before we go back to school? Put on the sweater and let's go."

Ray wondered what Stiles had planned for the night. Maybe they would go to a late movie or just drive around in his jeep and talk about everything. That didn't sound too terrible. Actually, she had been wanting to sit in the passenger seat for a while since Scott always called it.

Stiles waited for her with a nervous smile on his face while she tied up the new white converse her step brother Danny got her for Christmas. Her hands were pumped full of adrenaline from excitement and uncertainty, so it took an extra couple of seconds. When Raymona dropped down from the ladder, she started to cross the yard to his jeep.

"Are you going to wait in the jeep while I get Scott?" Stiles whispered across the lawn.

She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling like a giant, freezing wave of the ocean just crashed straight into her face. A red hot feeling rushed straight to her cheeks from realizing how completely wrong she was about this entire situation. She silently prayed the boy staring at her couldn’t see how red she was under the dim street lights.

By "we" Stiles meant Scott too, not just the two of them. Raymona had been a complete idiot. How? How did she jump straight to the idea of Stiles asking her on a date? Of course he hadn’t been asking her out! They hated each other, and they never hung out without Scotty.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered and covered it up by zipping up her sweater. "H-hurry up because it's cold."

"Okay, its unlocked," Stiles replied before heading over to Raymona's neighbor's house.

She crawled into the backseat of his jeep and slouched her shoulders, still repeatedly asking herself how she could have read the situation so wrong. At least Stiles didn't know Ray thought he was into her. . . She could just forget any of that hopefulness ever happened and move on without anyone ever knowing that she briefly fantasized about Stiles Stilinski of all people taking her on a date.

After a few moments of waiting, Stiles yelled loudly in the distance which made Ray jump and grab onto her new pendant around her neck. He was on Scott's property which meant he was Scott's responsibility if he got hurt. This was due to an agreement Scott made a few years back right after Stiles discovered parkour. He used to swing from the tree between their houses to get to the other's roof. Stiles has since learned his lesson because of a broken arm he had to suffer through the summer after eighth grade, but even if he didn't, the tree has since grown and it is much easier to climb from one house to the next. Ray just hoped he wouldn't think to try it again. The last thing she needed was Stilinski having an easier access to her bedroom window.

By the time the boys finally piled into the jeep Raymona already had a fake story made up to tell her mother incase she got caught coming home. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use the story because Stiles was taking her and Scott somewhere their mothers would approve of. Ray knew deep down that wouldn't be the case, but she still had hope.

"Where to?" The girl leaned forward to ask. Stiles visibly tensed and Scott sighed heavily.

"I can't believe you talked us into this, Stiles." Scott slouched against the door of the jeep and stared out at the moon.

Stiles started driving out of their neighborhood with a very guilty expression, causing Ray to be even more suspicious. "Stilinski, if you aren't taking me somewhere fun like the movies then I am going to chop up all your first editions and feed them to-"

"Your cat, we know," Scott and Stiles finished together.

"Do I need better threats?"

"What you need is to stop feeding so many weird things to your cat. That can't be good for its digestive system." Stiles turned down the road that goes around the preserve. Now the girl in the backseat knew for sure they weren't going to be doing anything fun or legal.

She sat back and nervously wrapped her hoodie tighter around her middle. "Listen, Stilinski, I can't get caught doing another one of your illegal shenanigans! My mom wanted to send me to boarding school after your dad caught us with those fireworks in July, and she didn't even know that we had set a few off before he caught us with them!"

Stiles laughed. His eyes glistened with mischief. "Come on, Raymona! What's life without a little risk?"

Scott turned around in his seat to explain the plans, "Stiles is forcing us to help him find a dead body."

"Half of a dead body!" Stiles gleefully interjected.

Ray’s jaw dropped. She reached out to hit Stiles, but Scott blocked her and said, "Not while he's driving." Ray knew was really code for, 'I'll disappear for a minute later and let you beat the crap out of him.' Scott was good like that. If he was around, he would break up the fights between Ray and Stiles, but sometimes he would wander off and let Ray teach Stiles a lesson when it was really needed.

As soon as the three got out of the jeep, Scott went back to being mopey. "I can't believe you're really making us do this."

Ray’s gym shorts were not doing much to keep her warm at all in the frosty air, so she reached back into the jeep and pulled out a crumbled coat Stiles that had previously been shoved under the drivers seat and forgotten about. Another method she used to keep warm was the penguin tactic which involved her staying glued to Scott to use his radiating body heat for the entirety of their journey out into the apparently haunted woods.

"Come on! You're the one always complaining that nothing ever happens in this town!" Stiles reminded him before starting to lead them with the flashlight.

"I was trying to get a good nights sleep before practice tomorrow," Scott explained.

"Right because sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort."

"You would know all about that wouldn't you, Stilinski?" Ray fired while trying to not step in a puddle of mud with the new shoes she got for Christmas.

"Put a pipe in it, Nerine."

Scott sighed and interjected, "No, you guys. I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making first line."

"Hey! That's the spirit," Stiles said sarcastically.

"Good for you, Scotty. You've been working really hard to improve, and Coach is going to appreciate that." Ray and Scott shared a smile while Stiles continued to be negative.

"Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one."

"Speaking of pathetically unrealistic dreams, I'm sure you'll get first line before Stilinski gets the Evil Queen to even look at him."

"Hey! My five year plan is in motion, and it is working amazingly!"

"Guys, just out of curiosity," Scott changed the touchy subject, "What half of the body are we looking for?"

"Huh, I didn't even think about that," Stiles admitted. Ray groaned and rubbed her temples, realizing how long of a night this was going to be.

"And what if whoever killed the body is still out here?" Scott went on. The thought made shivers run down Ray’s whole body, so she gripped onto the back of Scott's hoodie for reassurance. He slowed down to wrap an arm around her shoulder, and the two carried on like that.

"Also something I didn't think about..."

"I hate you, Stilinski," Ray said bitterly.

"I plan this wonderful midnight hike in the woods for you, and that's how you treat me?" He started to climb up a steep hill. Scott and Ray were forced to follow, after all, he did have the only flashlight.

"I'm glad to know you planned this out with your usual attention to detail," Scott forced out through erratic breaths as he pulled himself up the hill.

"I know," Stiles replied breathlessly.

Scott had to take a break and lean against the tree with the inhaler. Ray stopped with him so that he wouldn't be alone in the dark as Stiles carried on.

"Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?" Scott mumbled so only Ray could hear.

"Maybe we shouldn't have followed your idiot friend into the murderer-filled woods to begin with,” came her sarcastic response. Scott wrapped an arm back around her shoulder and they continued until they saw Stiles laying on the ground. The row of flashlights in the distance could only mean one thing: police.

As soon and Scott and Ray got to the ground, Stiles was on his feet whispering, "Come on!" The other two exchanged an annoyed look as they pushed up from the ground to chase after their friend. They ran as fast as they could through the woods, whispering for him to slow down. Eventually Stiles was caught by a police dog. Ray’s first instinct was to run up to him and help get the growling dog off him, but Scott pulled her to safety where he was hiding behind a tree. As soon as they heard the Sheriffs voice, the two relaxed a little, knowing Stiles would be okay.

"Hang on, hang on. This little delinquent belongs to me," Sheriff Stilinski said before beginning to question his son, "Do you listen in to all my phone calls?"

"No? Only the important ones."

"Where's your usual partners in crime?"

"Scott? Scott's home. He wanted to get a good night rest before practice tomorrow."

"And Raymona?"

"She hates me, Dad. You know she won't hang out with me unless Scott comes too. It's just me in the woods... alone."

"Scott? Ray? You out there?" The sheriff called out. Ray silently willed for Stiles to be eaten by a bear for dragging them out into this mess.

The sheriff continued to scold his son, "Well young man, I'm going to take you back to your car, and we are going to have a conversation about invasion of privacy."

There went their ride back and their flashlight. Maybe if Scott and Ray made good time, they could get back to the jeep before Stiles drove off. Ray grabbed Scott's hand and started dragging him back the way they came.

Both teens stay quiet on the walk back, not wanting to alert the police combing through the area. The possibility of running into a search team didn’t even cross Ray’s mind their entire trek out to the middle of the woods. Scott and Ray were both good kids, but whenever Stiles was involved, somehow logic and sanity got thrown out the window. Ray had a whole speech planned for Stiles as soon as her and Scott made it back to the jeep, and this one was creative! It didn’t involve feeding her cat anything!

While Ray was lost in her head, Scott was trying not to focus on how eerily quiet the forest was without Stiles’s witty banter. The unsettling feeling in his stomach amplified when the silence of the forest was broken by an odd thudding. He placed a hand on Ray’s shoulder to grab her attention.

“Do you hear that?”

Ray, who had been fantasizing about dumping Stiles in the middle of the desert then driving off also effectively stealing his precious jeep, had not been paying attention enough to the real world to even hear the crunch of leaves under her feet.

“What do you-“

Suddenly she was on the ground with Scott over her. A heard of crazed deer stampeded over them like they were merely a fallen log. Luckily, all the deer managed to expertly jump over their bodies.

After the creatures were gone, Scott rolled off of Ray. His hand fell to what should have been the forest floor, but instead it landed on something ice cold.

“What the-“ the rest of his sentence was cut off by his chilling scream. Scott jumped up from the ground and toppled backwards, falling over Ray. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance.

Once Scott moved, Ray was able to see the top half of a dead woman staring right at her. She screamed and shoved Scott off of her so that she could get up. Both teens started backing up, not being able to take their eyes off the body. Ray reached for Scott’s hand for support, but found nothing. She turned to see her best friend tumbling down a steep hill that she had stopped just shy of falling down herself.

“Scotty!”

Thankfully, Scott was able to pull himself up. Raymona started examining the deep drop off to find a safe way down the hill. Before she could find anything promising, a low growl emitted from below where Scott was.

Suddenly a giant black creature jumped out of the shadows and tackled Scott. Ray leaned against the tree stump next to her for support. Her friend cried out in pain, but Ray was too scared to move and help him.

Almost as quick as the creature attacked, it ran off into the night, leaving Scott lying on the ground. Tears blurred Ray’s vision, but she could see Scott standing up and making a run for it in the other direction. Ray took a leap of faith by sliding down the hill and sprinting after her friend. The booming sound of a wolf howling lit a fire in her to run faster until she reached the road. Scott was standing in the middle of it, looking off at the fading tail lights of a car.

“That car almost killed me!”

“That BEAR almost ATE you!”

“It tried,” Scott told her as he lived his shirt to reveal a giant bite mark that was oozing blood. “I think it was a wolf.”

“Oh my god, Scotty!” Ray nearly fainted from seeing the injury. “We have to get you to the hospital!”

“Our moms will kill us! And Stiles’s dad will know we were out here!”

Ray searched her sweater pockets for her phone, only coming up with a packet of gum. The jacket she stole from Stiles’s jeep was also empty.

“What the fuck do we do?”

“Walk?”

On the walk back to their homes, Ray offered a piece of gum to Scott. She put two in her mouth, only leaving one left in the package. The overload of mint flavor still wasn’t enough to get her mind off the fact that her best friend was bleeding out. Sure, he was able to walk, but what if he needed stitches? What if he got rabies?

She cried while watching Scott climb up the tree between their houses because he winced in pain. Scott climbed from his roof top to her own just to hug her. He assured her it didn’t hurt as bad as it looked then told her to get some sleep for school the next day. Ray didn’t know if she would ever to be able to sleep again. The image of that thing jumping on top of Scott and hearing his scream played over and over in her head. She stayed up the entire night staring at the ceiling.

Not being able to sleep meant she had plenty of time to get ready for her first day. When her step brother knocked on her door to wake her up, Ray was already putting on her boots.

“Saving your new shoes for something more exciting than the first day back?” Danny asked.

“Uh-“ Ray tightened the lace around her calves a little too tight from the adrenaline that came with lying, “Yeah.” She hoped the new shoes in question were shoved deep enough under her bed to not be seen.

Raymona was a horrible liar. Danny could tell she was being weird and nervous, but he couldn’t figure out why asking about her shoes made her act like that. “You good?”

“Just tired. I didn’t go to bed early enough.” Her eyes darted to the pair of muddy jeans she left in front of her dresser. She hoped Danny wasn’t as overly observant as he usually was today.

“Alright well, you can ride with me to school, but if you don’t want to sit through practice then find your own ride home.”

“I have work after, so I’m taking my bike with Scott.”

“Whatever you say.” Danny moved to shut her door, then came back, remembering something. “Oh and, Sonia wanted me to let you know that you are totally grounded for sneaking out and coming home so late _and_ that she expects you to give her you phone after your shift tonight!” Danny had a smug smile on his face when he shut Raymona’s door.

Ray forcefully shoved the jacket she borrowed from Stiles into her backpack. Her stepdad, Marcus, handed her a protein bar on her way out the front door and said, “Remember to come straight home after work. Your mom wants to talk to you.” That was his much kinder way of warning her that she was grounded. How such a nice man gave birth to the fiery ball of attitude that was Danny Mahealani was beyond her.

Ray was venting during her bike ride to school with Scott, “And how the hell am I supposed to turn in my phone if it’s LOST IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST.”

“I hope your mom doesn’t tell my mom anything. Don’t know how I’ll hide this if I’m grounded.” He lifted his shirt to reveal the big bandage covering his bite. Ray instantly felt bad for complaining.

“Sorry, Scotty. Are you feeling okay? No nausea or headaches, right?”

“I’m fine. It only hurts if I move.”

“Good thing we ride bikes to school.” The girl laughed at her own morbid joke as the two parked their bikes. “Hey, give this to Stilinski for me? I don’t think seeing his face is good for my mental health right now.”

Scott laughed and took the jacket from his neighbor. “I’ll make sure he knows to steer clear of you.”

Ray caught sight of her friend Gabby and hurried off. Scott lingered behind to lock up his bike, something Ray never cared enough to do for her own.

At lunch that day, Gabby was giving Raymona an Oscar worthy puppy dog eyes look. Still, Ray stuck to her word and said, “I have work. It’s too last minute to ask for it off.”

Gabby sat directly next to her friend at the lunch table, leaving Ray no room to breathe. “Please, Ray! I have to get into that party! Fletcher will be there, and. . Okay, picture this. I’m wearing my hottest dress. I’m dancing. I look across the room to see his green eyes staring at me. I motion for him to come over and then-“

“I have work, but I’m sure Danny will take you, even without me going. He thinks your cool.”

“He does?” That shut Gabby up for a minute. There was probably some crazy story going on in her head about Danny being her gay best friend, or some bullshit like that. Ray would actually welcome the idea of her friend and her step brother hanging out more. Then when she gets dragged to hanging out with his friends, she could bring Gabby as a buffer.

Painted black nails reached over Ray’s shoulder to grab her banana. Eddie Weaver plopped down one the seat beside Ray to peel it, immediately biting half of it off.

Despite his abrasive entrance, Raymona smiled at him. “Hey, Eddie.”

“‘Sup, Nerine.”

“You are gracing me with your presence at school which must mean. .”

“Can we switch shifts?”

“Depends, when?”

“I need Saturday off for a gig. I’ll work your Friday. Heard Queen bee is having a party Friday anyway.”

“I’ll work Saturday for you, but you don’t have to-“

“Thank you!” Gabby gushed. “Our savior in gothic armor!”

Eddie winks at the two of them. “I do what I can.”

Lydia Martin walked into the cafeteria followed by Jackson, Danny and their group of junior friends. The memory of last time Danny forced Ray to hang out with Lydia played out in her head, reminding her of the exact reason why she didn’t want to hang out with Lydia ever again.

“I’m grounded,” she admitted to Gabby, a last ditch effort for getting out of the party.

“Grounded? For what?” Gabby didn’t sound like she believed her.

“Sneaking out.”

“Little Raymona got caught sneaking out? Wish I had been there for that,” Eddie said.

A light bulb went off in Gabby’s head. “Well you did it once, so why not do it again for the party. So what if you get caught? You’re already in trouble anyway.”

Before Ray could tell her she didn’t want to risk being grounded on her birthday next month, Eddie said, “You’ll have to tell me about it when we work together Sunday.” He left to find his bandmates.

Nearing the end of Ray’s shift, a distinct tire screeching sound came to a halt just outside the shop. Raymona had been doing her chemistry homework since no customers had arrived in the last hour. She continued to work on her worksheet in hopes of ignoring the owner of Jeep outside as long as possible. Sadly, it’s hard to ignore the clumsy teen boy as he nearly tripped over the mat at the front door. A tired sigh escaped from Ray’s lips.

“You doing alright, Stilinski?”

“Never better! Found your phone.” He placed the muddy device on the counter, effectively getting it all dirty. If he didn’t leave soon, Ray would no doubt have to clean up knocked over shelves.

It was hard to be annoyed when the solution to one of her biggest worries was placed right in front of her though, no matter how muddy it was.

“How did you-wow. . Thanks, Stiles.”

“Guess how we found it!”

“Under a pile of leaves?”

“No, we went looking for it and Scott’s inhaler, but we couldn’t find them, but then Derek Hale showed up-“

“The guy who left town after his house burned down?”

“Yes! So you remember him! Super creepy and brooding. . Anyway, he had your phone and Scott’s inhaler! Just tossed it right over to us.”

“That’s. . Odd. . How’s Scott feeling?”

“Scott? He’s great! Coach had him play goalie for a bit and he caught every shot!”

All that practice Scott’s been doing since last season must have been worth it. Raymona hoped Scott wasn’t going for the goalie position, though. That would make things really awkward between her and Danny.

“Final tryouts are Friday, right? I have that night off, so I’ll be there.”

“You will?” For some reason, Stiles sounded shocked.

“Of course I’ll be there! Scott and I always go to each other’s matches. Besides, now I’m curious to see your skills too.”

Stiles scratched the back of his neck nervously. “My skills?”

“You and Scott practice together all the time, so haven’t you gotten good too?”

“Huh, never thought of it like that. .”

“Raymona!” Phil the manager popped his head out of the office. “Time to close up! Will you shut the front lights off?”

“Sir, yes sir!” She saluted the man, earning a chuckle.

“Want a ride home?” Stiles offered.

“I have my bike, thanks though!”

“See you at school, then.” Stiles stepped outside.

“Hope not!” Ray said in a cheery tone as she locked the front door and waved at him through the glass.

When Friday night rolled around, Ray was desperately missing her phone. Luckily she still had instant messenger and video calls on her laptop which she convinced her mother to let her keep because she needed it for school. Gabby entered back into the camera frame after being missing for ten minutes. She was carrying a pile of clothes that looked like it was going to crush her small body. She threw the pile of clothes onto her bed with an, “Oof.” Then started to pull individual things out.

“What do you think of this shirt?”

“It’s off the shoulder, but I bet it’ll keep riding up on your shoulder while dancing. You’ll spend the whole night adjusting it.”

“See? This is why we needed the video call. You’re a genius! Okay, next I’m thinking maybe this tank dress. . .”

“White? That’s asking someone to spill on you. You’ll spend the whole night in the bathroom trying to fix it. What about that yellow crop?”

“I’m insecure about my stomach. .”

“The why did you put it on the bed as an option?”

“Because. .its cute. .”

“And you look cute in it. I’ve seen it on you. Wear that one with the denim skirt.”

“Oh my god and my sunflower earrings!” Gabby held said earrings up to the camera.

“When did you get those! Oh my god I want a pair but daisies.. .”

“My tia got them for me for Christmas. My cousin has a pair that’s roses.”

“So freaking cute. .”

“I know right?”

Raymona’s mother walked into her room to see why her daughter sounded so happy when she was supposed to be grounded.

“Hi Mrs. Mahealani!” Gabby brought out her cheesy, parental approved smile. “How are you?”

“Oh I’m doing just fine, Gabby. What are you girls talking about?”

Thankfully her mother’s attention was on her friend. Ray worried that if her mother looked at her too closely, she would notice Ray was wearing a second set of clothes under her baggy sweatpants and hoodie.

“My tia got me these earrings for Christmas!” Gabby showed them to the camera again. “Raymona went and got herself grounded, so I have to show her all my new stuff over video call.”

“Those are very lovely!” Sonia turned to her daughter. “It’s nearly eight, so no more chatting. Say goodnight.”

“Okay, Mom.” Ray waited until her mother left the room to look back at the screen. Gabby was ferociously typing away. Finally, she sent the message.

_How are you getting there?_

As she was reading that message, she saw she had multiple missed video calls and messages from Stiles. She purposely avoided those and messaged Gabby back.

_I’ll probably walk. It’s not too far._

Lydia’s house was at least fifteen blocks away in a much nicer neighborhood than her own.

“Goodnight, Gabby! See you Monday.”

Gabby gave the camera a knowing wink. “Can’t wait for Monday! Behave so that your free sooner rather than later!”

“Yes Ma’am!” But that promise was very short lived. The squeaky breaks and bald tires of the Jeep belonging to her least favorite trouble maker made themselves know through her open window. Instead of instantly wanting to roll her eyes, Raymona smirked at the sound. She turned off her bedroom light then climbed out the window.

At the sight of someone climbing out the window, Stiles nearly fell off the roof.

“Raymona?”

“Shh!”

“What are you-“

“Stiles, for the love of god, wait until we are in your jeep.”

The instant they sat in the jeep, Stiles burst all he was thinking, “You aren't going to believe this, but you have to, okay? I'm not making any of this up! I've been researching _all week_ , and Scott was just at my house. He clawed my chair!"

"Scott did what?" Ray couldn’t hold back a chuckle at how frantic his hands were when he talked. “Talk slower, I’ll still be here when you’re done.”

"He got all mad at me because it's a full moon and his blood lust is high and he clawed my chair in the process of shoving me against my wall and almost punching me. You guys swore you heard a wolf, right? Because Scott was bit and there are no wolves in California, but I think- Actually, after what he did to my chair I'm pretty freaking sure-"

"Stiles," she cut him off, "You aren't making much sense. Did Scott punch you? Are you alright?"

"No he almost punched me, and yeah I'm fine, well I'm not fine I'm freaking out actually because Scott is a werewolf."

Ray groaned and rubbed her right temple. "Very funny, Stilinski. Now look, I was hoping you would take me to Lydia's party so-"

"No! Did you get my messages? You can't go to that. Scott is going to be there, and he is seriously, seriously dangerous." There was a rare wavering in his voice that usually only happens when he is really worked up. “Wait a minute. . Take you? As in. .”

“As in I was planning on sneaking out and walking until I heard your jeep pull up. Oh, and I might forgive you for dragging me into the woods if you take me and give me a ride home.”

“Did you not hear the part about Scott being a werewolf, having the urge to kill, and how the party would be dangerous?”

“Stilinski. . Are you and Scott playing some betting game or-?”

“I’ll prove it to you.”

“Yeah, ha, okay.”

That’s how Ray ended up walking into the Stilinski house. She had been there plenty of times before, but always with Scott. Never would she ever be caught dead hanging out with Stiles alone which is probably why Mr. Stilinski gave the two teens such a weird look when they tiptoed past him up the staircase trying to look casual. Noah figured he might as well let the teens know he definitely saw them and their weird behavior by saying, “Nice to see you, Raymona!”

“You too, Sheriff!” She called back as Stiles practically shoved her up the stairs and out of his dad’s line of sight.

Once Stiles closed the door to his room, Ray started to get in her own head again. He was constantly in her room without parent supervision, so why couldn’t she get over the idea of being alone in his room without Scott as a buffer? And, oh god, why was Stiles lifting his shirt?

"Look at this bruise on my shoulder!” Ray timidly stepped forward and scanned across his back to find the smallest, purple bruise where his shoulder blade stuck out a little. She poked it pretty hard making him jump and turn around. "I'm injured! Don't make it worse!"

"The bruise isn't bigger than a dime, you'll live." She paused and studied his worried expression. "Why the pouty lip?" The boy just pushed past her to reveal the back of his chair that had three defined cuts across the back. "Is that what Scott did? Did he really push you up against he wall?" If the bruise really was from when Scott pushed him, why would Scott do such a thing? That wasn't like him at all. And the slash marks. . How. . How the hell-?

Stiles started digging through a pile of papers at his desk and picked a few to show Ray. She glanced over them while he started to get himself worked up again. "I'm not messing with you. I swear to god, alright? I seriously think something happened to Scott because he was bit. He doesn't need his inhaler any more. He is suddenly super good at lacrosse. You saw that flip he did for first line try outs, right? That's not humanly possible to learn over night." He sounded so desperate to convince her.

"I agree that he seems really different all of the sudden, but he was practicing all winter break-"

"He wasn't practicing front flips over break, and that doesn't explain my clawed chair or that he admitted he had an urge to kill. Me, by the way, to kill me!" Stiles threw his hands up then rubbed his short hair and paced up and down his room. Ray’s eyes narrowed at the last page which had an image of a giant wolf-like creature, almost identical to the one in the woods. Her heart began to pound. It’s bright red eyes seemed to stare directly at her. Suddenly, Stiles ripped the paper out of her hand and asked, "Are you even listening to me anymore?"

She snatched the paper back and showed him the picture. "Where did you find this image?!"

He calmed down for a moment and stared at it. "I don't know. I was all over the Internet looking up stuff about lycanthropy."

Flashes of that night in the woods started to surface. The girl did what she could to suppress them, but she was starting to feel very sick. Stiles was giving Ray one of the most genuine and honest looks he had ever given her. She could see the fear and desperation in his eyes as if. . as if he was really convinced this was all happening.

For a moment, Ray trusted Stiles to finally admit what she had been keeping to herself the last week out of fear of sounding crazy. Even with that brief window of trust kicking in, she still had to turn away from him, not being able to look him in the eye when she admitted, "T-that's what I saw in the woods that night with Scott. That's what attacked him. I’ve been having nightmares of that thing ever since that night. It really did bite Scott, so if you aren't joking around with me- I swear Stilinski, if you are then I'll chop your balls off and-"

"Feed them to your cat, I know," he said solemnly. "I'm not joking. Scott's a werewolf, and tonight is the full moon."

The seriousness of the situation hit her like a tidal wave. She turned and looked up at Stiles. "Oh my god his date with Allison!"

"Were you just crying?" He reached his hand out to touch her cheek, but she dipped away from it, shocked he had gotten so close to her.

The girl started pacing his room like he had just been. "We have to go to that party and watch over him. If anything happens, we can get him out of there or at least away from everyone else. Oh my god. His first date with a girl and he might kill her. Stiles, what do we do? Did you try to convince him to postpone?"

"Of course I did! That's why I have a ripped chair and bruised shoulder!"

"Barely bruised at all really," Ray reminded him. "Honestly, no bigger than a dime. I'm sure you don't even feel it."

Stiles mumbled something incoherent then started shooing Ray out of his room. "Out! Out so I can change for the party." He started to shut his door, but Ray stubbornly put her foot in front of his door before he could shut it all the way. He rolled his eyes and asked, "What? Not done insulting me?"

"What? Don’t we need to bandage up that huge bruise on your back first?"

Stiles reached his hand through the opening her foot was making and shoved the girl’s face back hard enough to make her stumble a little and loose her footing. Ray’s shoe grazed against the door frame, causing a piece of paint to chip off at the bottom right. The door slammed in her face and she heard a distinctly aggressive locking sound. Hopefully the sheriff wouldn’t notice the new chip in the paint in the hallway and blame Raymona. . .

Finally Raymona was getting to ride in the passenger seat of the Jeep, and the first thing she does is. . Take off her pants.

"What are you- oh my god why are you taking your pants off?" Stiles yelled. He nearly hit a mailbox.

"Just drive, Stilinski! I have to change into my party outfit. Try not to have a heart attack, please. I have clothes on underneath, so you should be able to keep it in your pants." Once her hoodie was off, Stiles swerved in the road again. “Jesus, Stilinski! Eyes on the road!”

"Psh- What? I'm not-"

"It's a crop top, I’ve worn less to the pool.”

“Yes, yes you have.”

“Why do you look so smug?”

“I plead the fifth.”

”Whatever, perv.” Ray’s stomach started to do flips as the jeep pulled up to a stop across the street from Lydia Martin’s fancy home. She hoped to god this party was worth sneaking out during her grounding. It would also be great if Scott didn’t ruin it by turning during the full moon or whatever.

“Ready to head in?” Stiles asked.

”Let’s get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think so far!
> 
> Also, what song reminds you of Scott? For me, its That Old Black Hole by Dr. Dog (no pun intended). Although. . For some reason I headcanon that he know the entire discography of Kings of Leon. .


	2. A New Friend

All the sober teens at the party were nervously standing around. The few lightweights were dancing to get from point A to point B. Gabby was one of those lightweights and having the time of her life. She clung close to her best friend Raymona who smelled like peppermint.

Gabby squealed with joy as Ray spun her in a circle to the beat of the music. Ray had been the one to suggest they dance outside. She wanted to be closer to Scott and Allison in case anything happened. Although, with how drunk Gabby was, Ray doubted she would be able to do much if Scott actually shifted. . . Whatever that even meant.

Part of her still didn’t believe it was true. Werewolves? In Beacon Hills? Yeah right. Nothing exciting ever happens in this town.

Gabby slurred here words, “Should I- should I tell Fletchie he looks so cutie?”

“You are not allowed to talk to Greenberg tonight,” Ray told her sternly.

“But, he so cute.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you had six shots the second you got here.”

“That’s why I took the shots!”

Ray caught the girl before she fell on her face. “Maybe we should get you home.”

The two started making their way through the party and out to the front lawn. They had to stop so that Gabby could lean over the railing of the porch and empty her dinner into the bushes. Raymona quickly scooped all of her friend’s hair up out of the way.

Someone came stumbling out of the house and bumped into Ray. She opened her mouth to yell at them then quickly calmed down at the sight of Scott.

“Scotty? You feeling okay?” He didn’t stop to answer her, and she couldn’t go after him since Gabby wasn’t done ruining Lydia Martin’s landscaping.

Allison came next out of the house to call out for Scott, only to be ignored as well. Stiles wasn’t far behind her, but he stopped on the porch. Ray was starting to stumble with the weight of her drunk friend pulling her down. Stiles swung Gabby’s other arm over his own shoulder to help the girls down the stairs.

“We need to follow Scott,” Stiles said.

“WheresScott?” Gabby’s slurred words smelled terrible.

“I can’t just leave her,” Ray insisted.

“Fine, we’ll take her home, and Allison too. .” The two sober kids looked around for the girl. She was across the street getting into a black car. The streetlights were dim, but Stiles was pretty sure he knew who she was with. “Why is she with Derek Hale?”

“That’s Derek Hale?” Raymona’s eyes widened. The man holding the door of his car open for Allison was definitely not what she had been imaging every time Scott and Stiles had mentioned seeing him. He was a teenager when his house was burned down, and now he was. . Well. . Fully grown ass man with broad shoulders and the shadow of facial hair defining his features.

“Yes! You don’t recognize him?”

The two battled with Gabby for a minute to get her into the passenger seat of the jeep. Ray let out an exasperated sigh. “No, Stilinski. The last time I saw him I was a child! I definitely don’t remember him looking like. . I don’t know!”

“Hot? Manly?” Stiles offered.

“Fletchie is so manly,” Gabby mumbled.

“Sorry to break it to you, but Greenberg has a baby face, Gabs.” Ray buckled the girl’s seatbelt for her.

Gabby’s mother was not pleased with her coming home in that state. She thanked Raymona for bringing her home safely then said took take a good look at Gabby, because that would be the last time she would see her for a while. Ray hoped her friend wouldn’t really be grounded forever like her friend’s mother has said. She wanted Gabby to come to her birthday dinner next month.

The next mother they had to deal with was far more welcoming. When Melissa opened the front door, the smell of popcorn circled around the two teens. She invited them in with a warm smile, saying she was catching up on some shows she had recorded on her DVR and that they were welcome to join her if they could get Scott out of his room.

“That’s actually what we’re here for,” Raymona said. She lingered back to talk to Melissa while Stiles ran up the stairs to Scott’s room. “Scott left the party early not feeling too good, so we thought we’d come check on him.”

“You two are too good to him.” Melissa offered Ray the bowl of popcorn. She took a handful and sat on the couch. “So, did his date with Allison go well?”

“It seemed to be before he. . started eating the pizza rolls Lydia set out. . I don’t think she cooked them at the right temperature. They looked a little soggy, but you know how Scott is.”

Melissa snorted. “That’s all I could get him to eat when he was in seventh grade. I bet his body is fighting against him on purpose.” She looked back at the tv as the characters started having a shoot out.

A roar could be heard coming from outside. It was muffled from the fight on the TV, but not enough to go unnoticed. Melissa didn’t take her eyes off the screen as she commented, “That person’s car doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah,” Ray agreed. She could see a figure through the window running off down the street.

It sounded like a thunderstorm as Stiles ran down the stairs. Both women turned to look at him at the same time. His eyes went wide and he leaned against the railing of the stairs in an attempt to look natural.

“No luck, huh?” Melissa asked him.

“Nah. He says he just want to go to sleep.”

“That makes sense,” Ray said as she got up from the couch.

“Hey, wanna go check on Allison too? Make sure she got home safe?”

“Sure. Goodnight, Melissa.”

“Goodnight you two. Drive safe!”

Stiles did not drive safe. In fact, Ray didn’t think he made a complete stop at and stop sign. They were mostly driving through residential areas, so there was a stop on every corner. He also didn’t stop talking the whole way to Allison’s.

“So if it’s true that Derek killed the body in the woods, he might kill Allison! Or worse, Scott!”

“Stiles, if you don’t slow down, I’m going to be sick.” Ray gripped onto the handlebar for support as the boy whipped his jeep around a corner.

“Were you drinking at the party too?”

“No! I just have a stomach and it feels like you’ve shoved it in a washing machine!”

An angel must have been looking down on them because they arrived to Allison’s in one piece. One look at Allison’s mom when she answered the door and Ray almost wished they hadn’t. She seemed annoyed someone was knocking on their door so late, rightfully so because Stiles knocked a dozen times. Then the boy started fumbling over his words, making him sound guilty of something. Mrs. Argent’s gaze turned deadly. Ray thought the woman might disintegrate Stiles on the spot if Ray didn’t step in.

“What he means to say is, our friend felt sick and left early, so we just wanted to check in to make sure Allison got home safe.”

“That’s very. . Sweet of you two.” It was like Mrs. Argent wanted to be kind, but part of her also saw the chaos in Stiles and wanted the boy off her front porch as soon as possible. She called over her shoulder, “Allison.”

Her daughter came out of her room and onto the balcony of the staircase. Her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulder like something out of a Disney movie. She smiled at the two teens at the front door. Not a single part of her seemed harmed at all, like she wasn’t just in a car with a murder werewolf.

“Stiles, and. .”

“Raymona,” the girl introduced herself, “A friend of Scott’s. We just wanted to make sure you were home safe from the party.”

“Looks like you are,” Stiles commented.

“I am.” Allison laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“So, we’ll see you at school Monday! Goodnight!” The two hurried back to the jeep.

Stiles pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Seriously? Who’s calling me at this-oh. It’s Danny.” Before Ray could tell him not to answer, Stiles pressed the phone to his ear. “Danny boy! Don’t call you that? Okay...yeah! She’s here.” Stiles handed Ray the phone.

“Hey Da-“

“Your mom thinks your in the shower. Climb through the bathroom window. I left it open for you.”

“Holy shit.”

“You have like ten minutes before she realizes. .”

“I’ll be there! I owe you!”

“Yes, you do.”

She was worried about not being able to look for Scott, but Stiles promised her he would find him. The next morning she woke to an instant message on her laptop from Stiles at 6am.

He’s home and safe.

And that’s all Raymona could ever ask for.

“So?” Scott’s breath could be seen against the crisp Monday morning air.

“So?” Ray repeated. Their bikes slowed to a stop to let kids who were on their way to the bus station cross the street.

“Did you get caught sneaking out for the party?”

The two started riding again.

“It was a close call, but no, I didn’t. I owe my life to Danny now. If I can keep a clean record for another week, I’ll get my phone back.”

“And your Xbox?”

“Hopefully, but I haven’t been able to find my remote since before winter break. I’m sure Danny would let me borrow his though.”

“How’s that? I mean, living with your stepdad and Danny?” Scott asked.

“Marcus is awesome. Whenever my mom gets crazy angry, he reels her back in a few notches. Danny’s cool too. He isn’t home much though between lacrosse, staying at his mom’s, and saying he’s staying at his mom’s when he really is just out all night with his boyfriend.”

“Oh that’s a good cover. Wish I could use that. .” Scott started doing tricks with his bike like making it jump on and off the curb. Ray attempted to do the same and ended up crashing into a fire hydrant. Scott did a few circles around her as she laughed it off.

“And that’s why I wear a helmet,” she commented.

“Thank god you didn’t have a parkour phase. You would just be a walking cast.”

“Oh shut it. Hey, wanna race the rest of the way?”

Scott won by a long shot, but both of them laughed the whole way to school.

The rest of Monday flew by as boring as usual, that is, until that night. Stiles sent her twenty instant messages in a row, freaking out about Derek Hale being in Scott’s room. The girl was going to throw her laptop out the window if she heard it ding one more time. But sure enough, when Ray poked her head out the window, Derek Hale was jumping down from Scott’s roof. The girl waited until he was getting in his fancy black car before climbing out onto her own roof to jump to Scott’s.

The two ended up sitting on the boy’s roof to talk. Apparently Derek didn’t want Scott playing in the game Saturday because it was likely he would switch uncontrollably on the field. Ray told him it didn’t matter if he sat on the bench the whole game, she would still be there the whole night with his mom, cheering him on.

He also discovered that afternoon that Allison’s dad was a werewolf hunter. . who shot Scott in the woods the night of the full moon. Scott was worried enough to ask Ray if he should just stop pursuing Allison all together.

Ray looked up at the stars and smiled. “You can’t give up, dude. You guys are like. . the ultimate star crossed lovers fairytale. Besides, I’ve never seen you show interest like this in a girl before. That has to mean something.”

Scott pulled the stings of his hoodie tight enough to cover his face from his friend. “She’s just. . Whenever I look at her I just. . Ah, I don’t know.”

“Yeah, no. You definitely can’t give up after being all mushy like that. I’ll kill her dad for you, if you want.” Scott laughed as his friend made a fist and started punching the air in front of her.

“What?” She asked. “I’m tough. I can totally be tough.”

“So tough.”

“Not as tough as you though. Heard you _separated_ Jackson’s shoulder. Wanna tell me how that happened?”

Scott sheepishly scratched the back of his neck the started to tell the story, “Well, you see. .”

Raymona woke up eight times that night. Every dream she had was the same. The creature with the red glowing eyes would charge at her and bite her. Next she ran through the woods to get away from the thing, but every turn she wanted to make would get blocked by a deadly arrow flying in front of her.

That next day, she was wishing she had faked and illness to stay home and sleep. Raymona concentrated hard on the mess of books and papers piled in her locker. What was it she needed again? Her eyes wandered to the little tray she had stuck to the door, thinking maybe she needed a pen. A torn sheet of notebook paper was folded sloppily on top of her pens like someone had slipped it through the slits of the door.

_Nerd_

That’s all the note said. Ray crumbled it and rolled her eyes. Stiles must have been the culprit. That slimy little-

“Hey, Raymona, right?” The beautiful new girl cut in on Ray’s thoughts.

“Allison, yes. That’s me- not Allison, I mean, Raymona. I’m. . yeah, call me Ray.”

“Well thank you for checking on me after the party the other night, Ray. That was really kind of you.”

“Just wanted to make sure you were safe and all. . Scott was really worried, but he gets these-uh- stomach attacks. He’s really embarrassed of it though so don’t tell him I told you that.”

“He kind of eluded to that yesterday when we talked. . . Anyway! After the game Friday, Scott and I are hanging out with Lydia and Jackson. You should come, and bring Stiles too, of course.”

It was hard to say no to Allison’s dimples. “Yeah! That sounds super fun!”

“Great! We should sit together in French later!” The new girl gracefully hurried down the halls to class.

“French, right. .,” Ray mumbled as she looked back at her locker. Her eyes landed on her French book, but that class wasn’t until after break. “No. . That wasn’t it. .” She gave up trying to remember what she needed and headed off to class, rushing in just as the bell sounded.

Usually she sat next to Scott, but lately that spot was taken by Allison. The pretty and somehow already very popular new girl who she couldn’t even be mad at or jealous of because Allison had just been kind enough to invite her to hang out after the game. Ray doubted her mother would let her out of her sight at the game since Ray was grounded, but still, Allison didn’t have to be nice to her.

As soon as she sat in the last empty seat, in front of Allison and next to Stiles, Coach started his lecture.

“Everyone get out your books and turn to page 120. We’ll be reading chapter 11 out loud as a class to make sure you are all following along. Nerine, where’s your book?”

So that’s what she needed out of her locker.

“It’s, uh-“

“We can share,” Stiles offered her quietly. He must have taken the right dose today, because instead of clanking his desk right up next to hers, he left an inch of space between them.

The Coach scoffed in disbelief. “Well what do you know, chivalry isn’t dead. How about you start us off, too, Stilinski? And everyone should be taking notes for Friday’s quiz on this chapter.”

Stiles tore Raymona a sheet out of his notebook then started reading for the class. By the time he was done with his paragraph, he had to nudge the girl next to him, who in that short amount of time had doodled six different types of fish on her notes sheet. Ray quickly read her part aloud for the class then went back to drawing as soon as Allison behind her started reading her part.

Sure, Stiles had a few doodles of his own from spacing out during the paragraphs read by quiet people, but for the most part he was paying attention and writing down things he might see on the quiz. He had been switching between different pens for different sections of the chapter. When he reached for the green pen, he realized the girl next to him had stolen it to shade in the seaweed floating around the bottom of her ocean.

Her focus on the artwork was broken when Stiles wrote out, _you good?_ At the top of the paper.

Raymona wrote back, _yes_ , and she was going to leave it at that, but Stiles was persistent.

_did you mom find out about the party?_

_no_

_you still grounded?_

_yes_

_want to sneak out and find the other half of the body again to put Derek in jail tonight?_

Thankfully the bell rang, which meant Ray could get as far from Stiles as necessary. And with the sound of his plans for the night, she’s be getting as far as humanly possible. She picked up her backpack and hurried out of the classroom.

“Hey, wait-“ Stiles stumbled putting his desk back into place. “Ray, at least- _and_ you’re gone.”

Stiles turned to Scott who was waiting for him collect all his class supplies. “Guess It’s just you and me tonight, amigo,” He told Scott.

“What, Ray didn’t want to be part of your crazy plan? That’s not surprising.”

“I thought maybe after all these years I had instilled a sense of adventure in the two of you,” Stiles replied. The two best friends maneuvered through the crowded hall together.

“She probably has work anyway since she managed to get Saturday off for the game.”

“Her mom’s letting her go to the game?”

“Well, Danny’s on the team. I bet their whole family is going. She’s still grounded until Monday. . . I think. . Anyway, that’s also probably why she doesn’t want to be a part of your plan. Her birthday is coming up.”

“Right, right. It would suck to be grounded on your birthday.”

“Now you’re getting it-,” Scott shook his shoulder, “-So stay away from her until she’s a free woman again.”

The next morning Ray waited out front of their houses until ten minutes before first period started. Melissa’s car wasn’t in the driveway, meaning she must have been at work. Scott hadn’t answered when she knocked on his door, and she didn’t have her phone to call him.

He must have gotten a ride with Stiles after whatever they did last night, Ray assumed.

Stiles and Scott were both missing from all her morning classes with them. They were probably sleeping in from being out so late looking for the body again. Surely they would come to school after lunch.

They didn’t show up to Chemistry after lunch either. Allison sat in the empty seat behind Ray where Scott and Stiles should have been. The girl asked, “Do you know where Scott is?”

“Probably another stomach bug?” Ray shrugged and opened her textbook to the page Harris directed.

Gabby, who was giving Ray the silent treatment for turning her over to her mother the night of the party, pulled her chem notes further from Ray’s side of the desk. Usually they both worked on the same notebook to make the notes super detailed and easy to follow when they studied for quizzes. It looked like Ray would have to use her own notebook that day.

“Whoa.” Allison had gotten a peak at Ray’s notebook that was mostly filled with doodles. “You’re really good.”

Ray could feel heat rush to her cheeks. “No, I’m just bad at focusing in class.”

“No, seriously. I tried getting into art once and it was. . so cringe. I wish I had this kind of talent.”

“Well. . thanks.”

Usually people just told Ray to pay attention and stop doodling. No one had ever complimented her work before.

She really hoped Scott didn’t mess up this thing he had going with Allison. How lucky would she be if her best friend’s girlfriend was this nice? Maybe they’d stay together forever. One of Ray’s biggest fears was Scotty dating someone that hated her.

And also snakes.

Work had been slow that night. Raymona spent the whole shift lysoling every inch of the store and worrying. What if Derek had caught Stiles and Scott? What if they were taken or killed, and Ray was the only one who knew where they went and who did it? What if Derek came after Ray next to keep her silent?

Okay, so maybe now Derek Hale was also one of her biggest fears. After her shift, she biked home faster than she ever had while racing Scott. She didn’t care if her mother saw her knocking at the McCall’s front door through the window. All she cared about was seeing her best friend, _physically_ seeing him with her own eyes to confirm he wasn’t missing or dead.

“He’s in his room,” Melissa told her as she let her in. “And he’s in a slightly better mood this time if you want to go see him.”

There was no reason not to trust Melissa. Still, Ray was nervous to knock on Scott’s bedroom door. A flood of possible scenarios and worries made her chest physically hurt as if someone was pounding on it to make her heart beat again. What if she opened the door, and Scott wasn’t even there? What if Melissa just thought he was home, but really Derek Hale was burying him along with Stiles in a shallow grave in the woods.

She knocked and waited what felt like an eternity. Her chest started to heave and tears started pooling in her eyes.

Scott opened his door in the middle of a laugh. His voice cut out when he saw how panicked his friend was.

“Ray?”

Raymona spring forward, encasing her best friend in a giant hug. “You aren’t dead.”

“Course I’m not dead, silly. Why would you think that?”

“Because you went to a murderers house to dig up a body he killed and then didn’t show up to school the next day!”

“Well, I slept all day since I was up all night and had to get questioned by the police this morning.” Scott sat back at his desk chair. Ray noticed he was on a video call with Stiles Stilinski.

“And you!” She pointed at the screen.

“Me?” Stiles said defensively.

“Yes, you! That plan was so dangerous and stupid! What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about solving a murder, which we did by the way! Derek’s in jail, so the streets of Beacon Hills are safe once again. You’re welcome.”

“Well next time you two go solving a murder at least check back in with me after you get home safe!” Ray ruffled Scott’s hair. “I seriously thought Derek captured you, Scotty.”

“What about me? Derek coulda killed me just the same,” Stiles pointed out.

“And for that, I would have thanked him.”

Stiles placed a hand over his heart and faked that he had been shot. Ray stuck her tongue out at the screen then left Scott’s room to get home before her mom noticed how late she was.

Ray was slumped on the cold metal bleachers in between her mom and her younger brother Jayden. Jayden was more interested in texting his friends than he was with the game. Seeing him so zoned out in his phone made Raymona jealous. It was like he was trying to remind her constantly that she was without a phone and not allowed to have a social life.

“Texting Mason?” Raymona asked, hoping to get a little conversation out of her brother. He was at the age where he hated her and claimed everything she did was ‘cringe’.

“Yes,” is all Jayden offers her in return.

Her step dad Marcus had not sat since before the game even started. Every time the other team was on the offense, he would start yelling like a crazed fan.

“Get him! Yeah! Great catch! Watch your left!”

Her mother Sonia did not understand lacrosse, but she was happy to be catching up with their neighbor Melissa who sat behind them. They were coworkers at the hospital, and apparently their new CFO was terrible and running the hospital into the ground.

“I honestly don’t know how she gets to talk to people like that,” Sonia said.

“Yeah, honestly she’s- Run Scott!- Oh, sorry, but yeah she’s such a bitch.”

Ray caught the eyes of Allison sitting a couple rows down and to the left. She smiled up at Ray and waved her over. Oh how Ray wished she could sit with her friends. Her mother probably wouldn’t let her, but maybe she would be more willing since Melissa was there to witness everything. . 

“Mom?” Ray tapped her mother’s shoulder. “Can I go sit with my friend Allison?”

“Which one is Allison?” Melissa whispered. Ray pointed to the girl. “Oh she is pretty. That’s why Scott is so smitten.”

“Sure, honey. Meet us at the car after the game, though. You _are_ riding home with us.” Sonia turned back to Melissa, “So, Scott’s dating now?”

“Yeah, it worries me a little, but he can’t be my baby forever. . I guess.”

Ray hurried down the bleachers to sit with Allison and Lydia. Allison’s dad gave her a warm introduction, but there was a slight falter in his smile when Allison mentioned Raymona was Scott’s friend and neighbor. Ray hoped he was just being an protective dad about his daughter dating someone, but part of her worried it was something more sinister.

On the field, the team was lining up for a face off. Scott was bent down, ready to charge once the whistle blew. A player from the other team backed away from him.

“Which one is Scott again?” Allison’s dad asked.

“Number 11,” Ray told him. She smiled, hoping to come across like nothing was wrong even though every inch of her was terrified the hunter would catch on.

“Other wise known as the only one to not catch a single ball this whole game,” Lydia added.

“I hope he’s okay,” Allison said.

“I hope we’re okay. We need to win this.”

Ray wondered how Lydia and Allison holding up a sign would help the team win the match, but Lydia seemed very determined. Tension in the bleachers were high as the ref got ready to blow his whistle.

The ball went flying in the air. Scott jumped up, using another players shoulder pads to boost himself high enough to catch it. Is that. . legal? As soon as he stuck his landing, he was sprinting down the field.

A sea of maroon stood from the bleachers to watch the action. For the first time that whole night, Ray felt genuinely invested in the game.

She cupped her hands around her mouth to cheer. “Yes! Go Scotty!”

He sprinted through the entire attack area, dodging ever player on the other team. Scott swung his crosse and sent the ball flying into the net. The whole crowd cheered. Their school’s score on the board changed to four, now only one behind the other team.

Coach could be hear yelling, “Pass to McCall!”

The other team must have gotten confused at whose coach was yelling, because the boy from the other school passed the ball to Scott who went on to make another shot.

This shot their goalie was ready for, but the ball broke through the goalie’s netting and landed in the goal regardless. Ray gasped in disbelief while the rest of the bleachers cheered like mad. It was now a tie with less than a minute left in the game.

The teams faced off again. This time Jackson passed Scott the ball willingly. Scotty ran through the attack zone, this time stopping as two defenders lined up on each side of him. It seemed like Scott was either unsure how to get past them, or maybe he was getting stage fright.

Or maybe he was starting to lose control.

Ray’s eyes flickered down to where Stiles was sitting on the bench. He nearly choked on the glove he was chewing on when he realized Ray was watching him.

Allison’s whispers made Ray turn her attention back to the game, “You can do it, Scott.”

The defenders both started charging at him. Scott raised his crosse and threw the ball, making it past the goalie and into the net.

The buzzer rang out as the whole crowd cheered. Everyone started running off the stands and onto the field. Ray lost sight of Lydia and Allison in the midst of all the chaos. She found her way to Stiles at the team’s bench and offered him a high five.

“Scotty did it!”

“Hell yeah he did!” Stiles agreed.

Ray scanned through the crowd and was able to find Marcus and Danny hugging it out, but her mom and her younger brother must have been somewhere else. She decided to sit next to Stiles on the bench until the crowd wore down a little and she’s be able to walk to her mom’s van. There would probably be a slow line of cars leaving the school parking lot anyway.

Stiles’s dad was still standing on the bleachers behind them. He was checking the calls he missed during the game and cursed when he saw he missed one from the station. Of course as soon as the man hung up the phone. His son was asking him what was wrong.

“Well, the medical examiner has determined that the body’s cause of death was due to an animal attack. There was no indication that a human was the one who killed her, or was even involved.”

Stiles asked, “Why do you look like you’re going to be sick?”

“The station couldn’t keep Derek Hale in a holding cell for a crime that was done by an animal. They’ve let him out which is crazy to me because we just found out earlier that. .”

“That what, Dad?”

Noah sighed. He knew he shouldn’t be relaying all this information to his son and Ray, but the news would probably be on the front page of the paper the next day anyway. “The girl. . Derek knew her. It was Laura Hale, his sister.”

Stiles’s knee started jittering. He and Ray shared a knowing look.

Ray tried to not sound suspicious. “Hey, lets go find Scotty and congratulate him.”

Stepping into the locker room made the hairs on Raymona’s arms stand. It was dark and so quiet that the sound of her jacket rubbing against a locker made her nearly jump out of her skin. She caught herself from falling backward into a bench then tried to play it off like nothing happened. Stiles gave her and irritated look for making so much noise.

The two rounded the corner and came to a halt. Allison and Scott were standing in the middle of the showers with their lips locked.

Stiles whispered, “ _God_ , that’s. .” His face showed disgust as he and Ray both turned back around the corner out of sight.

Both teens were blushing from seeing their best friend like that. Ray just hoped Scott and Allison didn’t hear them. She didn’t want to ruin her best friends first kiss. Stiles apparently wasn’t so worried about being embarrassing. He peaked back around the corner to see if Scott and Allison were done yet.

“Quit that,” Ray whispered and pulled the boy back out of sight. She might have tugged on his jersey a little too hard because the boy stumbled and ran into her. One of his hands landed on the locker behind her to brace himself. The other landed on her hip. She had a handful of his jersey and another on his shoulder pad to keep him from coming any closer.

“The hell are you doing, Stilinki?” Her chest tightened when she looked up into his eyes. His lashes were kind of pretty. . .

“You dragged me here!” He whispered back.

“Hi Stiles, Ray,” Allison greeted as she slipped past the two on her way out. At the sound of her voice, Stiles and Ray pushed away from each other and cleared their throats.

“Allison, hey. .” Ray’s voice trailed off. Allison gave her a smile and a wave before leaving the room.

Their best friend came out of the showers looking like he was on cloud nine. His dopey smile warmed Raymona’s heart.

“I kissed her.”

“Saw that,” Stiles commented.

“She kissed me.”

“Saw that too.”

Ray clutched her necklace. “Y’all are so cute!” Having his first kiss after playing in his first lacrosse game and winning. Ray hoped her first kiss would be that romantic.

“‘S pretty good, huh?” Stiles asked.

“I-I don’t know how, but I controlled it. I pulled it back. Maybe. . Maybe I can do this. Maybe it’s not that bad.”

“I’m so happy for you, Scotty!” Ray pulled her friend into a quick hug.

“Yeah, yeah that’s great,” Stiles said. “We’ll talk later then.”

“Dude-,” Scott pulled on Stiles’s jersey to stop him from leaving. “What is it?”

Stiles was reluctant to give his best friend the bad news after he had such a great night. “My dad got a call. .”

Ray dropped the ball so that Stiles didn’t have to, “Derek was let out of jail.”

Scott asked. “What do you mean? We found the body.”

“That’s the thing,” Stiles explained. “The medical examiner looked at the other half of the body we found. To keep it simple: medial examiner determines killer of girl to be animal, not human. Derek is human, not animal. Derek not killer. . Derek let out of jail.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No, and here’s the bigger kick in the ass. My dad I.D.ed the body, both halves. Her name was Laura Hale.”

“Hale?”

Ray nodded. “Derek’s sister.”

“How the hell are they letting him off then? He buried her body!”

“He could play it off like he just wanted to give his sister a proper burial or something like that.” Ray explained.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Yeah, real proper burial like spiralling wolfsbane around her so that she stays in her wolf form in case the cops dig up the body.”

Ray looked back and forth between the boys. “The hell is wolfsbane.”

“You haven’t seen the movie either? That’s it. We’ve gotta have a movie night to educate the two of you.”

“I’m still grounded until Monday,” Ray reminded him. “Speaking of that. . My Mom is probably looking for me. You did great tonight, Scotty! Congrats on first line!”

It was hard to sleep that night knowing Derek Hale was walking free. What if he went after Stiles and Scott for telling the police about the body? Raymona really wished those two thought about possible outcomes before they just merrily went along with their stupid plans. Worrying about them constantly was really messing with her sleep schedule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it through chapter two! Thank you!
> 
> And already at this point in the show, the timeline is super weird. Here is a link to the timeline I go by! If things are any different, I’ll make sure to explain out the days through my writing.
> 
> http://www.teenwolfwiki.com/Timeline#Season%201%C2%A0
> 
> Hopefully that link works. . 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think so far about the story! (:


	3. Group Hangout

“Oh, so I’m your friend now that it’s convenient.” Gabby slammed her locker shut.

Ray pinched the bridge of her nose then said, “What do you mean? You are the one that’s been ignoring me!” This was not how she wanted to start her Monday morning.

“Because you ratted me out to my mom about the party!”

“What was I supposed to do? Leave your drunk ass there to embarrass yourself?”

“Or let me sober up at your place!”

“I was grounded! My mom didn’t even know that I left the house! I couldn’t just- Gabby, wait.”

Gabby said, “Why don’t you borrow the chem notes from your new friends you sat with at the game?”

A wave of guilt washed over Ray. She had told Gabby that Ray’s mom probably wouldn’t let her sit with her friends at the game because she was grounded.

“Yeah,” Gabby continued, “I saw you were hanging out with them.”

“Gabby, I didn’t mean-“

“I’m asking Harris for a new lab partner, one that won’t ditch me when something newer and more popular comes along.”

Raymona leaned against the lockers behind her. Students went back to their usual morning schedules now that the entertainment had left. This was all Ray’s fault. She should have asked her mom ahead of time if she could sit with Gabby. Instead, she had been afraid of her mother getting mad at her which was ridiculous because she ended up letting Ray sit with Allison without question.

Speaking of Allison, she had been walking down the hall to her locker when she noticed Ray slumped again the wall.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Allison asked the girl.

“Gabby’s pissed at me for bringing her home when she was drunk. Guess her mom got her in a bunch of trouble. She wants me to find a new lab partner.”

“Be my lab partner,” Allison offered without hesitation.

“Really? What about the one you already have?”

“I don’t have one yet. Harris has just been having me bounce around to fill the spot of whoever is absent that day.”

“Thank you. This is super cool of you.”

“Well any friend of Scott’s is a friend of mine.”

“Careful now, that statement includes Stiles,” Ray joked. The two girls began walking down the hall. Instantly, someone bumped into Allison, knocking all the supplies out of her arms.

Ray moved to pick them up for her, but the boy who ran into her was already doing it. Scott was looking up at Allison like she was the sun and he was the earth.

“You scared the hell out of me,” Allison told Scott. She didn’t look very scared due to the bright smile and blush across her cheeks.

“You’re okay,” Scott said.

“Once my heart starts beating again, yeah. . .,” she paused, noticing Scott’s odd demeanor. “What?”

“Just happy to see you.”

Ray dramatically put a hand over her heart, “If y’all don’t stop being so cute-“

The intercom interrupted her, “Attention students, this is your principal. I know you’re all wondering about the incident that occurred to one of our buses last night. While the police work to determine what happened, classes with proceed as scheduled.”

“Huh, wonder what happened to the bus. .” Ray said.

“Save me a seat at lunch?” Allison asked Scott.

“Y-yeah, of course.”

Raymona and Scott watched Allison leave for her class. Giddiness seemed to be oozing out of Scott. His friend nudge him and said, “I know you are usually head over heels for Allison, but you seem extra lovey dovey today. What’s up?”

Reality seemed to set back in for the boy. He scrunched cursed under his breath. “The bus. . I had a dream I attacked Allison on the bus. Then when Stiles and I saw the bus all bloodied up I thought. . .”

“You thought your dream was real?”

“It felt real.”

“What happened on the bus?”

“Guess we’ll have to let the cops figure that out.” He flinched was the bell rang. “See you in second!”

Later that day, the cafeteria was lively despite the poor excuse of a lunch the school supplied that day. The lettuce from the salad bar looked. . . slimey, and the hotdogs had an odd purple and blueish color to them like they had been bruised. Ray piled a few mandarins and a banana on her tray.

The lunch lady shook her head and said, “Honey, you need to at least eat something. Aren’t you hungry?”

Ray put a third mandarin on her tray then bolted to catch up with Scott and Stiles. She felt like if she let them out of her sight for more than ten minutes they’d do something stupid like. .

“Can’t believe you are going to trust Derek as if he won’t totally kill you after what you two did!” Ray told Scott.

For once, Stiles seemed to be on her side. “What makes you so sure that Derek even has all the answers?”

Raymona slid into the seat across from Scott so that he could get a clear shot of how disappointed she was in him for coming up with yet another stupid ass plan. Stiles seemed to have the same idea and planted himself on the bench next to her.

“Because during the full moon he wasn't changed. He was in total control while I was running around in the middle of the night attacking some totally innocent guy,” Scott explained.

“You don't know that,” Stiles reminded him.

“I don't not know it.”

“Innocent until proven guilty,” Ray told him. “Besides, even if Derek could teach you, he can’t teach you in a day anyway. . . You have Stiles and I to help you figure it out.”

“Yeah, totally,” Stiles agreed.

“Let’s focus on something less stressful like. . Your date with Allison tomorrow!”

Scott groaned. “I can't go out with Allison. I have to cancel.”

“No, you're not cancelling, okay? You can't just cancel your entire life. We'll figure it out,” Stiles promised him.

“Figure what out?” Lydia asked as she sat down next to Scott.

“Just, uh, homework,” Scott told her.

“Yeah,” Stiles said then whispered to Ray, “Why is she sitting with us?”

“Charity?” Ray whispered back.

Her step brother Danny slipped onto the bench on her right. “Scoot over a little?”

Raymona scooted close to Stiles so that Danny could fit at the end of the table. Stiles didn’t seemed to mind or even notice her as he mindlessly scrolled through his phone. Danny offered to trade her a mandarin for one of his granola bars which she was very thankful for.

Scott hastily moved his backpack from the seat on his other side for Allison to take a seat. She smiled at him. “Thanks.”

Jackson stood over the kid who sat at the head of the table. “Get up.”

“How come you never ask Danny to get up?” He whined.

“Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot.” Danny answered. Stiles and Ray both snickered at that. Danny continued talking as his best friend took a seat, “So I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack. Probably a cougar.”

“I heard mountain lion,” Jackson added.

“A cougar is a mountain lion,” Lydia corrected him, “Isn't it?

Jackson leaned back in his chair recklessly, “Who cares? The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway.”

“Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out.” Stiles leaned foreword with his phone for more people at the table to see the video on screen.

“The Sheriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.”

“I know this guy,” Scott realized.

Allison asked, “You do?”

“Yeah, when I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please? Like, oh, where are we going tomorrow night?” She looked over at Allison who seemed confused what she was asking about. Lydia clarified, “You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?”

“Um, we were thinking of what we were gonna do. . .” Allison looked to Scott for help, but he seemed just as dumbfounded.

“Well, I am not sitting home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out, we are doing something fun.”

“Oof,” Raymona said under her breath.

“Glad I’m not them,” Stiles whispered to her.

“Hanging out? Like, the four of us?” Oh, poor Scott. He turned to Allison, “Do you wanna hang out, like us and them?”

“Yeah, I guess. Sounds fun.” What was she supposed to do? Say she didn’t want to hang out with the very people she was currently having lunch with?

“You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork.” Leave it to Jackson to be brutally honest.

“How 'bout bowling? You love to bowl,” Lydia told her boyfriend.

“Yeah, with actual competition.”

“How do you know we're not actual competition?” Allison asked playfully. “You can bowl, right Scott?”

“Sort of,” Scott mumbled.

Jackson crossed his arms. “Is it sort of, or yes?”

"Yes, in fact," Scott said leaning foreword to stare down Jackson, "I'm a great bowler."

Stiles started nervously shoveling food into his mouth, probably thinking the same thing as Ray: Scott is the worst bowler on planet Earth.

Raymona stared down at her tray of food to avoid eye contact with anyone at the table. Her eyes were always a dead give away to what she was thinking. She quickly covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.

The last time she could recall Scott bowling was at Stiles' birthday party when he turned eight. He had thrown the ball so hard that it bounced off the hardwood floor, over the bumpers and into the gutter of the lane next to theirs. The three of them hadn’t even completed one full game before ending up in the arcade.

“You and Stiles should come too,” Allison told Ray. “We didn’t get to hang out after the game.”

All eyes turned to Ray. “I’m grounded.” The lie felt like it tumbled out her of mouth.

“Bullshit. Your mom gave you your phone back this morning.” Danny smirked at his step sister who looked like she wanted to smack him with their lunch tray.

“So it’s settled! We’ll meet you guys there at 7:30.” Lydia said as she patted her boyfriend’s shoulder. Jackson looked like he was trying to pass a kidney stone. That must have been the shoulder he separated.

That night at work, her and Eddie Weaver played a desktop version of football involving rubber bands on the front counter. Only three customers came in that whole night. Two of them came in looking to rent Iron Man 2. The last guy rented both Kick Ass and Scott Pilgram VS. The World.

“He’s going to have a fun night,” Eddie commented when the guy left the store.

Ray picked up a stapler to use as a microphone. “Oh yeah.”

“You know?” Eddie quoted back.

“Oh yeah!” Raymona flung her hair around.

“Oh no,” Eddie said while he started patting a beat into the counter.

“Hello again, friend of a friend, I knew you when-“

“Excuse me?” A middle aged woman called out from the front of the store. The two teens immediately stood up straight like cadets being called to attention. Raymona his the stapler behind her back.

“Hello, ma’am.”

“Do you guys have Tangled?”

“Fourth aisle,” Eddie told her with a smile.

A heat rushes to Raymona’s cheeks. She quickly grabbed the DVD cart as an excuse to hide behind shelves and avoid the customer that saw her singing like an idiot. She didn’t come back to the front desk until the woman left the store.

“I hate myself,” Ray declared.

Eddie sat on the counter and pulled a sucker for himself from their display. “Well I think you’re pretty cool.”

“You do?”

The boy stopped himself from saying something more when his eyes caught sight of who was parking out in front of the shop. Raymona’s focus on him was broken anyway at the sound of the shitty brakes. Scott McCall jumped out of the passenger side of the jeep. The driver decided to wait in his car.

Ray greeted her friend with a hug and a warm smile. Eddie sighed and hoped down from the counter. Guess he wasn’t the only one to think Ray’s cool. He started counting out the register to keep himself busy. It was close to closing time anyway.

Even though he couldn’t hear their whispering, he could tell Ray was not happy with whatever Scott was telling her. After Scott left to go sit in the jeep, Ray starting doing all the closing tasks silently.

Eddie offered, “I can drive you home if you want to avoid them.”

“What?”

“You just seem annoyed with them. If they are waiting to take you home, I could take you instead.”

The girl glared out the front window at her friends as she locked the front door. “Thanks Eddie, but Scott just. . needs my help with some extra credit homework.”

“I didn’t know you were tutoring people.”

“Only those who really need it.”

“Well I need it, the extra help, I mean. I know we have chemistry different periods, but maybe we can study together before the midterm.” Eddie was trying to seem casual about it. He leaned against the door frame of the break room.

Ray slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Sure. We can meet in the library at lunch sometime.”

“Or. .-,” Eddie held open the back exit for her. “-you could come over to my place after school some time?”

Ray picked up her bike from the wall of the alley and started pushing it toward the street. She laughed and asked, “When are we both not working at the same time after school?”

“When’s your next night off?”

“Tomorrow.”

“I work tomorrow with Phil. . And I have band practice Wednesday. Oh! I have Thursday night off.”

“I work, but I have Friday off,” she offered.

“I work Friday night. . What about Saturday? I work the early shift.”

The two rounded the corner. Ray’s friends were watching them from the jeep.

“I close that night,” she said. “Damn, well maybe we can study after a shift we have together sometime.”

“After?”

“I know it would be late but-“

“No, yeah! That would be totally cool.”

“Awesome! I’ve got to go figure out how I’m going to shove this bike in the back of that jeep, so. . We’ll talk later?”

“I’ll text you!” Eddie called out to her.

Raymona was in disbelief the entire way to the school. Apparently, Scott had gotten some advice from Derek despite Raymona’s pleas for him not to go. She couldn’t believe they had the audacity to go to another scene of a murder thinking they would be able to solve it. Because. . Gee, it just went to well last time!

“Do you guys remember that school field trip to San Francisco in seventh grade?” Ray asked from the backseat of the jeep.

“To the Exploratorium?” Stiles asked.

“Yes! And do you remember me saying, ‘Hey guys, let’s not sneak away from the crowd to get ice ream because we’ll get caught.’?”

“You know, I don’t remember that part,” Stiles lied.

“Well we did, get caught I mean, just like we will now if we sneak into a bloodied up crime scene!”

The three filed out of the jeep. Scott tried to be reassuring by patting Raymona’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s just gonna be me.”

Stiles, who was about to climb the fence, stopped and said, “I’m going too.”

“Someone has to drive the get away car in case things go south,” Scott told him.

“How come I'm always the driver?”

“Do you really trust _Ray_ with your jeep?”

Both boys turn and look at Ray. She smiled and shrugged. “I don’t have my license, and I can’t drive stick.”

Stiles’s nose scrunched up. “Okay, why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin? I don't want to be Robin all the time.”

“Nobody's Batman and Robin any of the time,” Scott told him.

“Not even some of the time?”

“Just stay here.”

“Oh, my God! Fine.” Stiles stormed back to the jeep while Scott climbed the chain link fence alone.

“Be careful,” Ray told him. She waited until her friend got to the bus before heading back to the jeep.

Stiles was playing a beat on his steering wheel as she climbed carefully into the back. Stiles had lowered part of the back seats to allow room for her bike, but still the space was small. Even without her bike back there she often struggled climbing into the back. Once she got situated, she out her phone to see she had a new text from Eddie. He was asking if next Tuesday worked for her. She glanced up to see Stiles glaring at her in the rear view mirror.

“Sorry you couldn’t go do dangerous shit,” she mumbled as she texted back a _sure_ to Eddie.

“It’s fine,” his words weren’t as hostile as she anticipated. She decided to change the subject in hopes of lightening the stress they both had while staring at the bus.

“I have my driving test on Valentine’s Day, so give me a few weeks and I’ll gladly be the runaway driver.”

“Can’t wait,” he mumbled.

“Don’t sounds too enthusiastic.”

“Well the world is already pretty dangerous without you behind the wheel.”

Raymona’s focus went back to her phone, ignoring his comment. She sent her manager a text to see if the schedule for the week of her birthday was up yet. She had asked for that Monday off to celebrate and also that Wednesday off for one of Scott’s games. She hoped to at least get the Wednesday off if not both.

“Hey-,” Stiles turned in his seat to talk to her, “-I was just kidding.”

“I know.” Her eyes didn’t leave her phone.

“So why didn’t you say something like, ‘Oh that’s real rich coming from you, Stilinski!’” His high pitched attempt to sound like her would have usually made her laugh.

This time she just shrugged. “I’m just. . Nervous for the test. I hate driving.”

“What? Driving is the best! Sometimes I drive around just to listen to music.”

“Yeah well, we can’t all be in an unhealthy sexual relationship with our cars.” She looked up to see his reaction and noticed headlights in the distance. “Shit, look!”

After seeing what she was referring to, Stiles laid a hand on the horn.

“Oh like that won’t draw attention!” Ray yelled.

“Do you want Scott to have time to get out of there or not?” Stiles’s focus was on his friend who was running from the bus. Scott jumped up on a parked car and flipped over the fencing. “Come on. . come on-“

Scott hopped into the passenger seat yelling, “Go! Go! Go! Go!”

Stiles obeyed, shifting the car into reverse and high tailing it out of there. He spun the car around at such a speed that Ray slid from one side of the backseat to the next, knocking into her bike. It felt like the Sizzler ride at the county fair. She quickly pulled herself back into a seat and found a seatbelt.

”Are you okay, Raymona?” Scott asked her.

”Peachy.”

“Did it work? Did you remember?” Stiles asked Scott.

“Yeah, I was there last night. And the blood. . a lot of it was mine.”

“So you did attack him?” Stiles asked at the same time Ray asked, “Were you alone?”

“No. I saw glowing eyes in the bus, but they weren't mine. It was Derek.”

“What about the driver?” Ray asked.

“I think I was actually trying to protect him.”

“Wait,” Stiles said. “Why would Derek help you remember that _he_ attacked the driver?”

“That's what I don't get,” Scott admitted.

“It's got to be a pack thing.”

“What, like some for of frat hazing?” Ray asked.

“Yeah or like. . an initiation,” Stiles explained, “You do the kill together.”

“Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?”

“Yeah, but you didn't do it, which means you're not a killer,” Stiles pointed out. “And it also means that-“

“I can go out with Allison.”

Ray rolled her eyes. Of course that’s what Scott’s one brain cell was thinking about. Everything always leads back to Allison these days.

“I was gonna say it means you won't kill me or Ray. .”

“Oh, yeah. That too.” Scott turned to smile at Ray in the backseat.

“That’s the last murder mystery you have the need to solve, right?”

“Yes,” he told her.

“No more stupidly dangerous shit in the middle of the night?”

“I promise.”

Tuesday night came by quicker than Raymona anticipated. She didn’t have time to come up with an excuse for getting out of the group hangout with Allison and Lydia. Not that she wasn’t looking foreword to getting to know Allison better, but. . the last thing she wanted to do on her night off was share a room with Jackson’s ego. To make matters even worse. .

“Can’t believe Scott would ditch us like this,” Ray complained from the passenger seat of the jeep. Scott had the bright idea of driving Allison alone in his mom’s car, probably in hopes of scoring some action at the end of the night. “How we even got rounded up in this group hangout I don’t even- what even is a group hangout? It sounds like we’re doing a school project together.”

Stiles pulled the car into the parking lot of the bowling alley and shrugged. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’re driving ourselves. If the couples get all. . coupley, then we can just head out.”

“I guess so. . Oh! We could finish building the Death Star!”

“Without Scott?”

“With all he has going on-” Ray’s eyes drifted to see Scott and Allison walking hand in hand into the bowling alley, “-highly doubt he would care if we finished playing legos without him.”

The two _really_ started to regret agreeing to this group hangout when they were put on a team together. Ray was a little nervous to be competing, but after seeing Scott bowl his first round, she felt a lot more confident. If she could knock one pin down, that’s one more than Scott would be able to.

She felt pretty great after knocking three down with the bright green seven pound kiddie ball she had to ask the worker for at the counter. Allison gave the girl a high five as she sat down next to Stiles. Ray stuck out her tongue at Scott who was still in disbelief from not hitting a single pin on his own turn.

“Wow, three pins. I don’t even think I’ll have to lift a finger this whole game. You’ll just win it for us.” Stiles rolled his eyes sarcastically. He stood to take his turn.

“Oh yeah? Think you can do better? Well you’re up, buddy! Let’s see it.”

Stiles ended up knocking down six pins. “Yes!” His shiny bowling shoes squeaked as he spun back around to face the group.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Wow, you know, together you two don’t even make ten-,” he paused and looked up at the screen, “Look’s like you’re up again, McCall.”

Scott took his bowling ball up to the lane then just stood there. Stiles’s knee was bouncing up and down as he watched his friend.

“Come on, Scott,” Ray mumbled. She wanted her friend to have a good time tonight. If Jackson kept ridiculing Scott for sucking at bowling, he’d never loosen up enough to enjoy his time with Allison.

Allison walked up to whisper some bit of advice in Scott’s ear. Whatever she told him must have been really great advice because Scott threw the ball dead center down the lane, knocking down each and every pin. The whole group took a moment to stare at the fallen pins.

“What the hell did you say to him?” Lydia asked.

“I just gave him something to think about,” Allison said cheekily.

Lydia stood to take her turn. Jackson followed after her to help her with her form. Raymona grimaced and looked away from the two, not wanting to see them eye fuck each other.

“We’re definitely gonna loose now if you don’t step it up,” Stiles told Ray.

His arm stretched out on the chair behind her. Sometimes she wished he had a sense of personal space, but that wasn’t the argument she wanted to pick for the night.

“With that attitude we will,” she mumbled.

“What? The positive attitude of wanting you to do better so that we win?”

“It’s not like we are going to be able to compete with Scott,” Ray whispered.

“No of course not. He’s obviously using his little wolfy senses and cheating. We can beat Lydia and Jackson, though. Aim for the middle.”

“Did you think I was aiming for the left during my last turn?”

“Sure looked like it.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t warn me you can’t bowl.”

“And what would you have done before hand with that knowledge? Research bowling tactics and give me a crash course in your jeep?”

“Hey, Thing One and Thing Two,” Jackson called out, “you idiots are up.”

Allison was calling out pointers as Raymona walked up to the alley. “Bend your knees a little. Don’t be so stiff. . . And keep your arm straight until you release!” She was trying to be helpful, but the advice gave Ray a feeling like the weight of the whole bowling alley was on her shoulders.

Ray looked down the lane then back at Allison like a deer caught in headlights. “At what point do I release?”

“Oh for the love of-,” Stiles mumbled as he followed after her to grab the bowling ball. “Stand here and watch me, then you’ll bowl for my turn.”

Ray took a step to the right and watched the hand Stiles held the bowling ball with. The veins in his wrist bulged out as he brought it foreword.

“Did you see that?” Stiles nodded toward the pins, only two left standing.

“Uh, yes?”

Well she definitely saw something.

Stiles left to retrieve the ball. Ray’s eyes followed him then landed back on the group. Allison was giving her a big thumbs up and a cheery smile. Scott was giving her this odd look she couldn’t read. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well again. If he wolfed out in the middle of bowling, that would surely ruin his chances with Allison.

“Well,” Stiles said after he threw his second shot, “At least I got eight. Now you’re up for me, so you better not throw a gutter- hey! Were you even paying attention?”

Ray gave him a toothy grin, knowing her answer was going to piss him off. “No.”

Stiles handed her the bowling ball then stepped back. “You’re the worst.”

“I know.”

She managed to knock down five pins, then two more on her second round. Allison and Scott cheered for her and Stiles shook her shoulders.

“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”

“We’re still probably going to lose. .”

“To Scott, but not to Jackson.”

After Scott bowled his sixth strike in a row, Allison and Lydia wanted to take a break to use the restroom. They pulled Raymona along with them, which she was excited to be a part of. Being one of the cool girls, hanging out in the bathroom, talking about boys. . She felt like she was in a teen movie. The only thing that could make it better is if her best friend Gabby was with them. Too bad she was working at the grocery store that night. . . And also giving her the silent treatment for handing her drunk ass over to her mother after the party at Lydia’s.

“Scott was right,” Allison said as she washed her hands, “You and Stiles do fight like an old married couple. How long have you two been dating?”

Ray nearly slipped from where she was leaning on the 80’s styled tile wall. “D-dating?”

Lydia stopped fixing her lipgloss to add, “I didn’t know you have a boyfriend, Ray. Is that why you acted so weird when I tried to set you up with Greenberg before winter break?. . I mean, this Stiles guy seems cute, I guess. I just wish you were dating a lacrosse player.”

“Stiles is a lacrosse player,” Ray told her.

“Really, hmm. . Don’t recognize him. .”

The reason she didn’t want to date Greenberg was because Gabby had a huge crush on him, not because she had a boyfriend, and definitely not because she was dating Stiles. That was completely absurd.

“You guys are cute together.” Allison gave Ray a heart melting smile. “We should all get a picture after this! It’s my first triple date.”

“This is not a triple date.” Ray told her.

“What do you mean?”

“Stiles and I aren’t- we’re friends, not even friends, we hate each other! I thought this was just a group hangout!”

Lydia laughed and gave her a pitiful look in the mirror, “Oh honey. . You thought you and Stiles were just hanging out platonically with two couples?”

“Well, Scott and I aren’t like. . super official yet,” Allison tried to soften the blow. “Does Stiles know this isn’t a date?”

“Of course Stiles knows this isn’t a date! We’ve been arguing the whole night!”

“Sounded like flirting to me,” Allison said with a chuckle.

“And he’s had his arm around the back of your chair all night.” Lydia winked at Ray in the mirror.

“He doesn’t know what personal space is.”

“And yet you don’t seem to mind,” Lydia pointed out. She put her lipgloss in her purse then said. “Let’s head back out. I’m ready to win this.”

The two did not manage to beat Jackson and Lydia. The strawberry blonde miraculously started throwing strikes and spares for the last three rounds, bring up their score to beat Stiles and Raymona’s by sixteen. Ray tried her hardest, but she just couldn’t focus on the game now that Lydia and Allison has pointed out that this was a date. Or. . Meant to be a date. It definitely wasn’t a date, but it might have been even though it wasn’t. Right?

None of that made sense.

Ray’s head began to spin as she put back on her regular shoes. Allison and Lydia didn’t understand the dynamic she had with the guys. That had to be it. . . Girls assuming that girls and boys can’t just platonically be friends, or enemies in the case of Stiles. Platonically enemies. . .

Her mind still wasn’t making any fucking sense.

“Do you guys want to go for ice cream?” Allison offered. Scott placed both their pairs of shoe rentals on the return counter.

“Oh that sounds fun and all, but I think we’re gonna head home,” Ray tried to act calm as she spoke, but the sound of Lydia and Jackson making out was disturbing. It was hard to keep a straight face.

“It’s not even nine. We still have a little while before curfew,” Scott reminded her.

“Oh yeah, but you know with my dad being the sheriff and all,” Stiles added.

“Oh, is he super strict?” Allison asked.

“Totally, yeah. That’s my dad. Strict.”

Allison looked to Scott for conformation since the tone Stiles had was so odd. Scott seemed to be just confused as she was. He gave Stiles a pat on the back. “Well, see you tomorrow at school, dude. Goodnight, Ray.”

“Night, Scotty. Text me when you get home safe, Allison!”

The mindless action of piecing together a gigantic LEGO set was actually calming. Ray needed to destress in order to process the night she just had.

Noah Stilinski stood up from the couch and carefully made his way around the terrible mess of what used to be his living room. He put his plate in the sink and noticed the nearly full pizza box on the counter. The teens who had been so excited for him to order the damn thing just thirty minutes ago had not even looked up from their project since the pizza was delivered.

“Are you two even going to eat the pizza I ordered?”

Raymona’s stomach growled angrily at her. She finally put down the section she was working on. “I’d love a piece.” She looked out across the living room and wondered how the hell she was supposed to make it to the kitchen without stepping on a lego. Instead of making the Death Star, they built a death trap.

“I’ll bring it to you,” the sheriff offered. He brought a plate for his son too, who was still fixated on the part he was dealing with.

“You got a grey piece, two wide, five long?”

“Maybe if you hadn’t mixed everything up to make it more _challenging_ ,” Ray grumbled as she sifted through the pile of random legos next to her. “Here.”

“Now take a break and eat your dinner.” The dad held the plate in front of his son’s head to grab his attention.

“Oh, the pizza’s here!”

As soon as the sheriff sat back on the couch to finish the episode, his phone went off. The man muttered a, “It never ends. .,“ before answering the call.

The mood in the room seemed to fall as whoever was on the other line started talking. Stiles and Ray gave each other worried glances as the boy’s father ended the phone call.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” Stiles asked carefully.

“That was the hospital. The bus driver succumbed to his wounds.”

“Oh, that. . . I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Why don’t you two, uh, clean up this project so that I don’t step on it in the morning and then take Ray on home. It’s gettin’ late.”

The two teens did as told while the sheriff went to the hospital. Ray didn’t know how to talk to Stiles after that. He was uncharacteristically quiet in the car, probably worrying about how Scott would take the news.

“I’m sorry,” the words surprised even herself.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. She put her hand out the window to feel the breeze. “That you had to see Lydia and Jackson acting all gross? I should have told Allison we couldn’t go tonight that way you didn’t have to see them like that. .”

Stiles shrugged. “My dad asked me a few days ago if I actually liked Lydia or if. . .If I had just gotten used to saying I liked her. I mean, it was weird seeing them blatantly make out in the middle of the bowling alley, sure, but I wasn’t jealous or anything.”

Raymona blinked a few times. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked over at the boy driving. “You’ve been in love with her since third grade.”

“Have I? How can you be in love with someone that doesn’t even know your name?”

“Lydia knows you,” Ray reassured.

“Does she really?”

What Lydia said in the bathroom earlier played out in Raymona’s head. Lydia didn’t even know Stiles was on the lacrosse team. He had been the same number last season.

“So what? You are just going to give up your five year plan just like that? Just cuz your dad questioned you?”

“Well, it wasn’t the first time I wondered if it was just me hyper focusing. . It was just the first time someone had the balls to tell me.”

“But. . It’s Lydia. . . She’s like. . Super hot and smart and- What the hell, Stiles? Are you having a mid life crisis because Scott got a girlfriend?”

“No, I just-“

“Is this because of Derek Hale?”

Stiles looked at her like she had three heads. “W-what? Are you crazy?!”

“You said he was hot.” She shrugged. “I just thought maybe. . I don’t know! People can be like. . Bisexual!”

“Can’t I appreciate another man without liking him?”

“That sounds a little bi to me, buddy.”

“I will make your ass walk home if you don’t drop this.”

“Okay! Fine!” Ray rolled her eyes. “If Not the big bad wolf, and not Lydia. . Then who is it?”

“Why does there have to be someone? Can’t I just focus on school?”

She snorted. “You? Focus on school?”

The jeep turned onto her street.

“Yes! I’m currently trying not to fall behind with all the _our best friend is a werewolf_ stuff going on.” He parked the car in front of Scott’s house. “Which is what I have to deal with right now. . Fuck. He isn’t even home yet.”

“His date with Allison must have ended well then.” Ray jumped out of the jeep. “Want to come up and wait for him at my place?”

“Would you mom care if I came over this late?”

“Yes. . . Actually, she’d probably kill the both of us.”

“I’ll just go through Scotty’s window then.”

“Suit yourself.” Ray turned to leave and called over her shoulder, “Don’t you dare finish that Death Star without me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello. .  
> I didn’t come out as bi until my senior year, despite all my friends guessing it before hand and liking girls since seventh grade. . . My mother and I were planning to go to pride before I was even out. She flat out said “we are going to get you a girlfriend while we’re there.” And I was like o_o . . . Yes but how did you know that was my secret plan.  
> Oblivious should have been my middle name.  
> Bi Stiles will be a thing in my fic, but . . give him time to figure that out himself.
> 
> But at the end of the day this is a StilesxOC fic! I loved writing that whole bowling scene!
> 
> What did you guys think of the chapter? And how’s quarantine for you? I’m in Northern California, and I will most likely go back to work in the middle of this month.


	4. Wolfsbane

“I hear it might reach the 70s this weekend,” Danny commented before chugging a glass of orange juice.

Raymona looked out their kitchen window.She sipped on her glass of OJ casually. “That would be nice.”

“Yeah. . Perfect weather for you to go on another date with Stilinski.”

Orange juice sprayed from her mouth, some even dribbled out her nose. “Oh god-“ she coughed violently to get the drink out of her lungs. “What the fuck, Danny?!”

“What? You just weren’t going to tell me that you went on a date with him Tuesday?” Danny handed her a roll of paper towels. “Not cool.”

“It wasn’t a date! Who told you that?!”

“Lydia keeps asking me why I didn’t tell her you had a boyfriend.”

“Because I don’t! I told her that! Stiles and I aren’t- that wasn’t a date! We were just there for Scott. . like for moral support with Allison and. . Stop smiling like that!”

“Whatever you say. . See you at school!” Danny grabbed his lacrosse bag and headed out.

Ray was nearly late to school after cleaning up the kitchen and changing into fresh clothes.

Despite having an awful morning, Ray was happy to discover that Danny had been right about one thing. The weather was lovely. Only a few puffy clouds floated about in the bright blue sky. The sun was shining down on the town, a lovely break from the on and off rainy weather they had been having that winter. Ray didn’t have anything due Monday, and she had the night off of work. She also had the late shift Saturday, so she could stay up as late as she wanted.

Maybe she could help her step dad plant flowers in the garden. Or she could lay on the trampoline and draw pictures of Santa Cruz. It would be a lovely day to visit the boardwalk. If only she didn’t live five hours away. .

The girl happily put all of her textbooks in her locker. She loved when she was able to bike home without something weighing her down. After she stacked the last one, a sickly looking hand slammed her locker shut.

Derek Hale was leaning against the locker to her right. His pale hand fell from her locker, scraping it with his exposed nails. He stumbled forward slightly, looking like he was going to be sick. His eyes squeezed shut, drawing attention to the dark circles around them and the sweat in his brow. Ray felt frozen in fear at the sight of him. She knew Scott trusted him enough to be a teacher, but Ray found it hard to trust the mysterious werewolf. Why didn’t he tell Scott about the Alpha from the beginning?

Still, her hand reached out to steady him from falling. A few students in the hallway turned to see what was going on.

“Are you okay?” She asked him.

“Do I look okay?” He said through clenched teeth.

“Is that blood on your hand?” He retracted his claws. The tips of his fingers were stained red. “Oh god.”

“Where’s Scott?”

“Probably getting his bike in the parking lot.”

“Take me there.”

“Take you- What am I supposed to do? Carry you? You look like you weigh-“

“Don’t-,” He put his hand up to silence her, “Just shut up and help me find Scott.”

Ray reluctantly swung his arm over her shoulder and helped him out to the parking lot. By the time they got to the road, it felt like he had stopped putting in effort completely. She was practically dragging his limp body all on her own. Just for a second, she stopped and steadied him to stand on his own so that she could breath. An obnoxious set of brakes screeched, coming to a stop just inches from hitting them.

The wind the jeep created was enough to make Derek topple over. Ray pulled on his leather jacket, but it slipped from her finger tips. He landed on the blacktop and groaned.

Scott was by her side in and instant. Stiles climbed out of the jeep as well to see what was going on.

“What the hell?” Scott asked her.

“He said he needed you!” Ray whispered back.

Scott helped Derek sit up. “What are you doing here?”

“I was shot.”

“He’s not looking so good, dude,” Stiles said.

“No shit!” Ray retorted.

“Why aren’t you healing?” Scott asked Derek.

“I can’t. It w-it was a different kind of bullet.”

“A silver bullet?” Stiles asked.

“No, you idiot.”

“Wait-wait.” Scott realized, “That’s what she meant when she said you have 48 hours.”

“Who said I have 48 hours?”

“The woman who shot you.”

Derek’s eyes flashed a bright blue. Ray jumped back slightly, bumping into Stiles.

“What are you doing?” Scott told him, “Stop that!”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, I can’t!”

“We have to get him out of here,” Ray said.

Scott moved to help Derek up. “Stiles, help me put him in your car.” The three of them shoved Derek into the passenger seat of Stiles’s jeep.

Ray took a step back and brushed off her hands. “Well my job here is done.”

“Oh no,” Stiles said with a fake laugh, “You brought him here. You are not leaving me alone with this.”

Thirty seconds later, she was climbing into the backseat of the jeep. Ray didn’t know why she gave in so easy. Surely Stiles could have handled a dying Derek on his own.

Derek had been trying to convince Scott to find out what kind of bullet he had been hit with. Scott had a study date with Allison that night, something Allison had gushed to her about at lunch. Apparently Lydia had told Allison that Scott would be expecting something more during the study date. Ray promised her Scott would be happy with just studying. He really did need help in. . well just about every class at this point.

Scott asked Derek, “Why should I help you?”

“Because you need me.”

“Fine. I'll try.” Well that didn’t take much convincing. “Hey get him out of here,” Scott told Stiles.

Stiles gave his best friend a deadly look, “I hate you for this so much.”

The silence in the car didn’t last very long. Stiles was giving Ray a deadly glare in the rear view mirror like this was all somehow her fault. She wasn’t the one that had been running around on rooftops and getting shot!

“Stop looking at me like that. I didn’t do this,” Ray snapped.

“Oh you mean you didn’t walk a dying werewolf out into the middle of the school parking lot for everyone to see?”

“What should I have done? I mean, look at him!”

Derek was getting worse. His arm was dripping in blood, and the rest of him looked like he didn’t have much blood left to lose.

Stiles groaned. “Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats, okay? We're almost there.”

Derek just shrugged while Raymona asked, “Almost where?”

“His house.”

Derek sat up straighter in the passenger seat to talk. “What? No, you can't take me there.”

“I can't take you to your own house?”

“Not when I can't protect myself.”

Stiles pulled off to the side of the road. “All right. What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet? Hmm? Are you dying?”

“Not yet. I have a last resort.”

“What do you mean? What last resort?” Derek lifted the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the bullet wound on his arm. A rotting scent filled the jeep. Raymona gagged in the backseat. Stiles had to look away as he spoke, “Oh, my God. What is that? Oh, is that contagious? You know what, you should probably just get out.”

“Start the car. Now,” Derek threatened. Despite his dying state, Ray was still fearful of what the man was capable of.

Stiles wasn’t taking the man’s shit though.He got awfully close to the werewolf’s face as he spoke, “I don't think you should be barking orders with the way you look, okay? In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead.”

“Stiles,” Ray leaned forward and put a hand on his chest to push him back lightly.

“Start the car,” Derek spoke lowly, “-or I'm gonna rip your throat out, with my teeth.”

“Stiles just do what he says, and I’ll call Scotty. He’ll tell us where to take him.”

Stiles roughly turned the key in the ignition. Ray’s shaking hand dialed Scott’s number and silently prayed he would pick up. After the fourth ring, he did.

“Ray, now isn’t really-“

“Scotty! What are we supposed to do with Derek? He says it’s not safe to take him home.”

“Take him somewhere, anywhere.” Scott wasn’t as helpful as Ray hoped he would be.

“And, by the way,” Stiles said loud enough for Scott to hear, “-he's starting to smell.”

“Like - like what?” Scott asked.

Ray grimaced. “Like. . Rotting or-“

“Like death!” Stiles added.

“Okay, take him to the animal clinic,” Scott offered.

“What about your boss?”

“He's gone by now. There's a spare key in the box behind the dumpster.”

Ray sighed. She looked at Derek’s slumped figure in the passenger seat then met Stiles’s eyes in the rear view mirror. “You're not gonna believe where he's telling us to take him.”

In the alleyway of the animal clinic, Ray and Stiles had reached their limit on working together peacefully. Ray was irritated with how long Stiles was taking to find the key. Derek was leaning all of his weight in her, and she felt like she was about to fall over.

“He said it’s in the box behind the dumpster!” Ray told Stiles.

“I heard you the first five thousand times!” Stiles was trying to use his phone flashlight to see behind the dumpster. “There isn’t a box here!”

“Maybe just move the dumpster!”

Stiles yanked the full dumpster, only for it to move and inch. “Yeah! New plan!” He got down on the ground to look under the thing. “I see something.”

“Well grab it!”

“No shit!”

“Can you stop talking back to your girlfriend for one second and focus?” Derek asked. Ray’s eyes went wide. Her footing faltered, nearly causing her and Derek to fall over.

Stiles yanked a beaten up cardboard box from under the dumpster. He tore it open to find a key taped on the inside. The front of his clothes were dirty from lying on the ground. He opened the back door then helped Ray set Derek down to lean against a wall.

“Call Scott again,” Derek said.

Stiles threw his hands up in the air dramatically, “You know what? I don’t think you’re in a position to be telling us what to-“

“I’m calling him,” Ray interrupted his rant then handed Derek her phone. She dragged Stiles to the other corner of the room while Derek talked with Scott. “Being a dick to Derek isn’t going to get us out of helping him,” she whispered to Stiles.

“Oh like he is being pleasant or helpful in any way.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “He just threatened to kill me like an hour ago.”

“Well, we have to figure out something, Stiles! What are we going to do if he dies? Oh my god. . Are we going to get framed for murder?”

“No, we wouldn’t. . .,” Stiles paused. “Okay yeah maybe we would.”

The two looked over at Derek as he ended his phone call with Scott. The man closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him.

“He doesn’t look good,” Stiles commented.

“We’re going to prison. Oh my god. My mom’s gonna kill me.”

“Hey.” Stiles put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s gone be fine. Scotty will find the bullet and then-“

“We find out what he was shot with, but what if we don’t save him in time?”

“I’m trying to be positive but you’re just not letting me.”

“Stiles, be realistic for one second.”

“So what? He dies and we get caught for murder. My dad would cover it up!” Stiles said.

“For you, but not for me!”

Stiles shrugged. “Actually it would probably be for you since he likes you and I just cause him trouble.” His phone buzzed in his pocket. Stiles pulled it out then called out to Derek, “Does Northern blue monkshood mean anything to you?”

“It's a rare form of wolfsbane. He has to bring me the bullet.”

“Why?”

“'Cause I'm gonna die without it.”

Derek made the two teens help him into the examination room. He looked like a dead man walking under the big fluorescent light.

“It’s getting really bad, isn’t it?” Ray carefully asked Derek.

“You know, that really doesn't look like anything some echinacea and a good night of sleep couldn't take care of,” Stiles said sarcastically.

Derek started digging through the clinic drawers. Ray wondered if he thought the local vet would have a medication to slow down. . whatever the hell kind of poison was infecting his blood.

He told the two teens who were watching him closely, “When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me.”

“The word ‘Positivity’ just isn't in your guys’s vocabulary, is it?”

“What if. . What if Scotty doesn’t find the bullet?” Ray asked.

“If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time, I have a last resort.”

Stiles threw up his hand sin frustration. “Which is?”

“You're gonna cut off my arm.”

The room felt like it was spinning as Ray’s eyes landed on the blade Derek put on the table. She leaned back against a medicine cabinet. Both her hands reached up to clutch into her necklace. The gesture didn’t bring her as much comfort as she had hoped.

All the color drained from Stiles’s face. He winced and said, “Oh my god. I’m not doing that.”

He looked to Ray who suddenly felt like there was a snake constricting her chest. “Don’t look at me! You have to be the one!”

“What? Why me?”

“You’re-you’re the man!”

“Okay well actually I’m a feminist so I don’t see a problem with you being the one to-“

“Both of you just shut up!” Derek yelled at them. He nodded to Ray, “You, tighten this band.”

Ray timidly stepped forward to pull on the makeshift rubber tourniquet. Black blood oozed out of the wound making her feel dizzy. She stepped back to brace herself against the counter while Stiles continued trying to get out of it.

“What if you bleed to death?”

“It'll heal if it works.”

Ray closed her eyes and silently prayed Derek was right.

Stiles grimaced. His hand reached for the blade then stopped. “Ugh. Look-I don't know if I can do this.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood!”

Ray turned away to face the brick wall. To help steady her breathing, she started counting the bricks.

Derek sighed and asked, “You faint at the sight of blood?”

“No,” Stiles whined, “but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!”

“All right, fine.” Derek was practically gasping for air at this point. “How about this? Either you cut off my arm, or I'm gonna cut off your head.”

“Okay, you know what, I'm so not buying your threats any-,” Derek cut him off, pulling Stiles forward by the collar of his shirt. “Oh, my God. Okay. All right, bought, sold. Totally. I'll do it. I'll do it.”

Ray had gotten for fifty seven bricks before gaining the courage to turn back around and say. “There has to be another wa-“

Derek leaned over the side of the table and threw up a chunky black liquid onto the floor. It spattered all over Ray’s boots and the bottom of her jeans. She screamed and jumped away from him, hiding completely behind Stiles.

Stiles looked like he was holding back his own puke as he asked, “Holy god, what the hell is that?”

“It's my body-,” Derek spit whatever was left in his mouth onto the pile. “-trying to heal itself.”

“Well, it's not doing a very good job of it.”

“Now. You gotta do it now,” Derek told him.

One of Ray’s hands clutched her necklace. The other had a fist full of Stiles’s shirt. She closed her eyes and tried to picture being at the beach with her dad, or really anywhere that wasn’t reality.

“Look, honestly, I don't think I can,” Stiles admitted.

“Just do it!”

“Oh, my God. Okay, okay.” Stiles turned on the saw. “Oh, my God. All right, here we go!”

“Stiles!” Scott called from the back door of the clinic.

Stiles turned off the saw, “Scott?”

Ray opened her eyes to see her best friend staring at them like they. . Well like they were about to cut off Derek’s hales left arm. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares,” Stiles told him.

“Did you get it?” Derek asked. Scott handed him the bullet.

“Thank fucking god,” Ray said. She wouldn’t have to go to prison for murdering Derek Hale.

“What are you gonna do with it?”

“I'm gonna-,” Derek swayed as he held up the bullet, “I'm gonna-.” The werewolf collapsed onto the floor, dropping the bullet. Stiles and Ray bolted around the table to help him.

“No. No, no, no, no!” Scott yelled as he chased the bullet. It had fallen down a drain.”

Stiles rolled Derek onto his back. Ray leaned down to try and hear if he had a heartbeat. She couldn’t hear much over Scott’s grumbling and Stiles patting on the werewolf’s face.

“Derek. Derek, come on, wake up,” Stiles urged. “Scott, what the hell are we gonna do?”

“I don't know! I can't reach it.” Scott was trying to reach into the drain, but his hand wouldn’t fit.

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing,” Ray said. She leaned in closer to hear his breath and then tried listening to his heart again.

“He's not waking up!” Stiles told Scott.

“Come on. . .,” Scott winced as he reaches for the bullet.

Stiles continued to panic, “I think he's dying. I think he's dead!”

“Oh my god,” Ray looked up at Stiles. Her eyes were full of tears. “We’re going to prison!”

“Just hold on!” Scott told them both harshly. “Come on. Oh!” Scott held up the bullet. “I got it! I got it!”

“But how are we going to wake him up?” Ray asked.

Stiles sighed and motioned for Ray to step back. “Please don't kill me for this,” he mumbled. His fist collided with Derek’s cheek then Stiles’s face scrunched up in pain. “Ugh! Ow! God!”

With Derek now weak, Ray was able to help him to stand back at the table. He held his hand out to Scott. “Give me. .” He stuck the bullet in his mouth to tear it open with his teeth. With the gunpowder poured out into the table, he lit it with a lighter from his pocket. The flames jumped up higher than Ray expected. She flinched and hid behind Scott.

Derek scooped up the burnt remanence. He shoved it into the bullet wound then yelled in pain. As he fell to the ground, his yells started to sound more like a wolf growling. The black veins in his arms started to disolved until they were completely gone. In seconds, the wound healed over like it had never been there to begin with.

“That. . was . . awesome! Yes!” Stiles cheered.

Scott asked, “Are you okay?”

“Well, except for the agonizing pain.”

“I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health,” Stiles commented.

“You must have an amazing immune system then,” Ray mumbled to Stiles.

“Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that?” Scott threatened, “And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything-“

Derek scoffed as he started putting his shirt back on. “You're gonna trust them? You think they can help you?”

“Well, why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are.”

“I can show you exactly how nice they are.”

“What do you mean?”

Derek dragged Scott out of the clinic, leaving the mess they made for Stiles and Ray to clean up. Mopping up the black liquid Derek had expelled was disgusting, but it somehow wasn’t the worst thing she experienced that night. Stiles almost sawing off a man’s arm in front of her would definitely give her nightmares for at least a month.

Or until the next supernatural encounter tops it.

She was glad to be going some, but seeing her step brother Danny playing basketball in their driveway with his boyfriend was not how she wanted to end the night.

“Oh no,” Ray sunk in the passenger seat to avoid being seen. “Keep driving!” Ray insisted.

“What? It’s just Danny and-Does Danny hate me or something? I knew it!”

“Just drive, Stiles!” The girl didn’t dare peaking out the window, in fear her brother might catch a glimpse of her in the infamous blue jeep.

“Okay, okay! Why are you acting so weird?”

Ray waited until they had driven a few blocks away before sitting up in the passenger seat again. If Danny had seen Stiles drop Ray off, she would have never heard the end of it. Between his teasing that morning, Allison and Lydia’s questions at school, and even Derek Hale’s misassumptions, Ray didn’t think she could handle another accusation.

Heat rushed to her cheeks. She tried to cover it up by putting on her hood and looking out the window, facing away from the boy. “Danny thinks we’re dating.”

She had expected Stiles to swerve the car and make some disgusted face. There was also the possibility that he would burst out laughing at the audacity of the situation.

What she had not anticipated was Stiles calmly replying, “Oh yeah, Scotty did too.”

“What? Why?”

“Allison’s pretty convinced. She asked Scott about it that night after we left bowling early.”

“Well did you tell him we’re not?”

“Of course, cuz we’re not!”

“Lydia and Allison said that group hangout actually meant triple date- which I had no idea about by the way! So I just wanted to make sure you didn’t think bowling-“

“Was a date? We were just hanging out. . _Did I_ make it seem like it was a date?”

“Well you had your arm around the back of my chair the whole- red light!”

“I know! I see it.” Stiles grumbled.

“Well it didn’t seem like you were going to stop.”

“Friends put their arms around each other. I put my arm around Scotty all the time.”

“We aren’t friends.”

Stiles’s jaw dropped. “What do you meant we aren’t friends? Our mutual best friend is a werewolf, and the three of us are like-figuring things out together and almost just went to prison for murder together and like. . surviving life threatening situations together and-“

“Surviving _together_? Like when you ditched me and Scotty in the woods to be eaten by a murdering Alpha werewolf?”

“Oh _come on_! When are you going to let that go?”

Instead of responding, Ray just crossed her arms. The thoughts swirling through her head seemed too harsh. She didn’t think Stiles would take well to hearing, _when I stop having nightmares_ , or _when I can afford therapy_. She glared at the trees zooming past them out the window. There wasn’t a single other car on the road they were headed down.

“Stiles, are you taking me to the middle of the woods to murder me? That didn’t work so well last time you tried it.”

“No, smart ass. You didn’t want to go home so I’m just doing my route.”

“Your. . route?”

“Yeah you know like a drive around town to think and listen to sad music route. Only this time, instead of listening to music I have to listen to your annoying voice.”

Ray scoffed. “I hate you, Stiles.”

“You know what? I’m thinking now that it was a date. Yeah, how does it feel having been on a date with the person you hate most in this world?” His turned up his stereo so loud Ray could barely hear her own thoughts.

Now that she wasn’t able to argue, Ray could calm down and take a look at Stiles. These last few days she had been avoiding him at all costs in fear of the girls teasing her. Derek had been in a sour mood all day, from being on the edge of dying. Dealing with that had brought Ray’s stress level through the roof, probably Stiles’s too.

“I’m sorry,” her words couldn’t be heard of the max volumed Panic! at the Disco song.

Stiles had gotten really angry at Derek a few different times that day, but now he looked beyond any of that. He was chewing on his thumbnail. The other hand had gone completely white with how tight he was gripping the steering wheel. Ray couldn’t believe that she did that. Everything they dealt with that day, and she was the one to push him over the edge and take things too far.

“Stiles,” she tried again, this time lowering the volume to grab his attention.

“Ray.”

“It wasn’t a date-“

“Oh my god.” He rolled his eyes and reached to turn the music back up, but Ray stopped him.

She couldn’t help but laugh “-I’m sorry. It’s our thing to disagree! I guess I just. . I don’t know how to just shut up. I’m sorry.”

After a beat of silence, Stiles asked, “So, are we friends?”

“Definitely not.”

“So we are dating,” Stiles said cheekily.

“No! We’re enemies!”

“Like Catwoman and Batman.”

Raymona shrugged. “Catwoman is a villain, right? So, yeah I guess. I’ve never read those comics.”

For some reason, Stiles was smiling suspiciously. “I’ll let you borrow them sometime.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was hard for me to write probably because it is mostly just. . One long ass scene from the show. I’ve had the end and beginning of this chapter written for six weeks! But. . That middle. . Oof.  
> I’m so excited for the next four chapters!! Every time I sat down to write this one, I ended up writing scenes for future chapters. Can’t wait to share them with you!
> 
> This is the first time Ray actually meets Derek instead of just seeing him from afar or hearing about what he’s done! I’m excited to see how they progress as a duo after they start to build trust for Derek and vice versa. Season 1 Derek is so. . “Do this now and ask questions later, but even later I’m still not going to fully answer and of them.”
> 
> Also I go back to work in a little over a week (I think, unless they push the date back further). I’m part of California’s stage 3 work force, so everything is up in the air right now.
> 
> Hope y’all are doing well!! (:


	5. Reese's

A loud clanking followed by a few curse words is how Ray’s manager Phil exited the break room. Ray tiptoed to catch a glimpse of whatever the hell he was doing that caused so much noise. Phil was carrying a ladder under one arm and a box of new lights under the other.

Ray cheered and clapped for him. “Finally!! You’re fixing the light!”

Phil, who was huffing as he carried the heavy ladder across the store, was not as enthusiastic about the chore. “Only because Eddie threatened he’d quit if it wasn’t fixed by his next shift.”

“Do you want me to spot you?” Ray asked.

“Nah, just finish putting away that cart. There’s only thirty minutes to close anyway.”

Ray pushed the cart to the next aisle, now working with a skip in her step. She hadn’t realized they were so close to closing. Her friend Gabby had actually messaged her that morning after giving her the silent treatment for almost a full week. Apparently, she was planning on sneaking out to see a boy even though her mother said she was grounded until summer. Ray was looking forward to seeing how that all went.

A chill ran down her back as she pushed the cart to the next line of DVDs. She brushed off the feeling, assuming she must have been uncomfortable just because it was the horror section of the store. She had never been a fan of the genre, but her distaste for it worsened after that night in the woods with Scott. If werewolves were real, how many other creepy supernatural beings lurked the streets of the real world?

Phil yelled out, followed by a huge thud. Ray jumped at the sound and turned to see he was no longer on the ladder. There was a tight feeling in her chest, making it hard to breath. Still, she kept her voice cheery, “Didn’t you say you didn’t need a spot?”

Her laugh at her own joke trailed off as she realized Phil hadn’t responded. Ray pushed the cart out of the way and walked toward the ladder. She could see Phil’s foot from the floor of one of the aisles near the ladder. He must have had the wind knocked out of him when he fell. .

“Phil, are you,-“ Ray let out a scream as she rounded the corner. Her manager was lying on the floor, claw marks all down his chest and neck. His blood pooled out and stained the outdated carpet a deep reddish black. The life had left his eyes, but one thing still remained. Fear.

She leaned against the dvd stand to support her weakening knees. A deep growl came from a few aisles to her right. On instinct, she make a break to the left, hoping to make it to the break room and out the back door. Before she made it to the back of the store, the bell from the front door jingled.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no, fuck! Now was not the time for some idiot to come in looking for a shitty movie! Ray pushed her back up against the south wall of the store. She was ten feet from the break room when a voice called out.

“Can somebody help me find The Notebook?”

It was Jackson fucking Whittemore. Of all people to walk in at this very moment, her step brother’s best friend chose to. Danny would kill Ray if she left his best friend to get murdered by some-

What the hell was that growl from anyway? A mountain lion? Xmen’s Wolverine? The werewolf that bit Scott?

The store’s phone started ringing, probably someone calling to ask how late they were open. Their store hours hadn’t changed in fifteen years, but they still get calls every weekend about it. Ray covered her mouth to stifle the sound of the half whimper, half sob that escaped along with the tear down her cheek.

“Hello?” Jackson called out again.

Ray took a deep breath in through her nose and decided she couldn’t leave Jackson as werewolf bait, no matter how much of an ass he was. She kept her back along the walls of the store and made her way closer to the boy which simultaneously meant she was farther from the back door.

“Is anybody working here?” Jackson started to lose his patience as he searched through the store for an employee. When he discovered Phil’s dead body, Ray found the courage to push off the safety of the wall and sprint toward him.

“We have to get out of here.” Her words made Jackson jump and knock over the ladder. It crashed into the hanging light fixture which led to all the lights in the store going out, leaving the red glow of the emergency lights.

“What. . what’s-?”

“I think it’s still here,” Raymona whispered. She tugged in the boy’s jacket to pull him from his shocked state. The poor guy couldn’t take his eyes off Phil’s body.

“How. . Who. .”

Jackson’s questions were answered by the werewolf growling again. Both teens froze in place as the sight of a pair of red glowing eyes staring at them from the other end of the store. Jackson was the one to pull Ray out of her shock this time as he dragged her behind an aisle, out of the eyesight of the beast.

Ray squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine the full layout of the store. The alpha was along the back wall now, so their best chance of escaping was the front door. They could get in whatever car Jackson came in, drive off and call the police from a safe distance.

Before she could relay the plan to Jackson, a loud crash came from a couple aisles behind them, then another one closer, then a third and-

The girl pushed the other teen out of the line of fire. When the stand behind them came crashing down, Jackson landed with only it weighing down his bottom half. Ray wasn’t so lucky, being stuck completely underneath the giant wooden stand. She whimpered as her shoulder twisted an unnatural way under the pressure. Immediately she began struggling to get the shelf off herself, but then she could hear it again.

The low growling of the alpha.

It was near. Suddenly, being under the shelf felt like the safest place she could be. She held her breath and waited until there was a loud crash of the front windows to breathe again.

“It’s gone,” Jackson said with a strained voice. He had managed to push himself up to a crawling position. “Can you-?”

“Yeah,” Raymond responded breathlessly. “Ah-“ She yanked her ankle from under a part of the self then army crawled out from under it. “Thanks.” She grunted as she held it up for Jackson to slip out. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire.

“The hell was that?”

All Ray could think to say was, “A mountain lion?”

Twenty minutes later Ray was sat in the back of an ambulance with her mom. The medics were working on splinting up her dislocated shoulder so that the cops could further question her. The sheriff finally pulled on scene and started telling his men what to do. Before the sheriff could even scan over the whole scene, his son was already barreling out of the car, which was exactly what he told him not to do just five seconds prior.

“Oh, Stiles-!” The chastising fell short when the sheriff’s eyes landed on the girl his son was running over to.

“Ray, oh my god! Are you okay? What happened? Does it hurt?”

Sonia stood in front of the boy her daughter was always complaining about in hopes of blocking her from of his chaotic energy. She crossed her arms and said sternly, “Now, Stiles, I don’t think-“

“Mom, it’s okay.” Surprising everyone, Ray was holding out her good hand to wave Stiles over. She immediately regretted it when his bombarding side hug sent of shock of pain through her shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“It’s okay. Hey,” she called to the boy whose eyes were wildly jumping around the crime scene. Once he turned to look at her, she told him, “Scott should probably be told about all of this.”

“Sco-oh.” Stiles’ eyes went wide and he looked back at the big shattered glass window. His mind was finally clueing together what kind of attack this was. “Oh wow!”

“Yeah, and then maybe you and Scotty can check in on Lydia and Jackson?”

Too many things seemed to be happening at once. Stiles couldn’t help but blurt out, “Is that a dead body?”

“Right, so!” Sonia stepped in front of her daughter to block her view of Phil’s body being rolled into a different ambulance. “Let’s get you to the hospital and put that shoulder back into place! Bye, Stiles!”

The Monday following, Sonia was pulling up to the high school when she asked for the third time, “Are you sure about this?”

“Mom, I’m fine. Really.”

“The principal knows. He said you can have the week off to recover. .”

“I just want things to go back to normal.”

“Okay, have it your way.”

“Can I stay home today?” Jayden asked from the backseat.

“You, mister, are failing Mrs. Brock’s class, so no, you can not skip. Ever.”

Raymona turned around to face her brother, “Dude, Mrs. Brock is a total pushover. How are you failing?”

“I’m not!”

“That’s not what she told me at the parent teacher conference last week,” Sonia reminded him. “Speaking of, your’s are tonight, Ray. Am I going to hear good things?”

Ray rolled her eyes. “Of course, Mom.”

Her mother’s words didn’t frighten her until she sat down in second period and realized she had voluntarily sat next to troublemaker Stiles Stilinski. Ray feared her teachers had picked up on how much they’d been hanging out and would inform her mother about it. Stiles wasn’t necessarily a bad student, academically he did alright, but he was a source of constant distraction. Ray used to steer clear of him at school, only dealing with him when she wanted to hang out with Scott.

After the first bell rang, Stiles leaned over in his chair a little too far to go undetected by their teacher. His whisper wasn’t so quiet either, “You seen Scott?”

Ray had been so lost in her own worries that she hadn’t noticed her neighbor’s absence. “No.”

“How’s your shoulder?”

“It’s-“

“Stilinski, Nerine, do you two mind if I start class?” The teacher fired at them from behind her podium.

The girl sunk in her seat. Getting called out on parent teacher conference day was not something she wanted to do, especially not when that someone getting her into trouble was the person her mother disapproved of most.

All throughout lunch she hid in the bathroom to avoid people blatantly whispering about what happened to her. She didn’t leave the stall until the bell rang and she had to go to class. Ray was trying desperately to make it to the chemistry classroom in peace, but Stiles was waiting for her near her locker.

“Do you think Scott’s with Derek?”

Raymona responded to him with a half hearted shrug. She debated skipping over her locker and going straight to chemistry without a book, but Mr. Harris would never let her hear the end of it. Stopping by the locker and listening to Stiles a little longer wouldn’t kill her. . Hopefully.

“Did Jackson and Lydia see anything? Are they even here today?” Stiles stopped just short of Ray’s locker, standing much closer than she was comfortable with.

“Stiles, slow down.”

“Is your work shut down? Are they going to reopen? Would you go back?”

“Stilinski!” Jackson called as he stormed up to the duo. He grabbed Stiles by the shoulders and pulled him back away from Ray. “She doesn’t want to play 20 questions. Get to class.”

Everyone in the hallway had eyes on the three now. Raymona wished her locker was an oven so that she could stick her head into it.

To make matters even worse, the school counselor, Ms. Morrell happened to be walking down the halls to witness the exchange. The clicking of her heels stopped as she reached the three students. Her smile didn’t offer Ray’s anxiety and comfort.

“Miss Nerine, Mr. Whittemore, just the two I was looking for. Come have a chat with me in my office.”

Her office was small, and her questions made it feel even smaller. Both Ray and Jackson kept insisting that they were fine and didn’t need to talk. Jackson went so far as too insist he didn’t even see anything, which Ray knew was a lie. How do you explain the glowing red eyes of an alpha werewolf to a guidance counselor without being sent to Eichen House? You don’t, so the students pretended everything was sunshine and rainbows.

They were late to chem now, but the empty halls were a blessing. Jackson was protected under the protection of minors law, but everyone knew Ray worked at the DVD shop. The news reports said there was another girl working that night who survived. There wasn’t a student in the school who wasn’t talking about what happened to her Saturday night.

“Sorry about your boss,” Jackson said on their walk to class.

“Thanks,” the girl mumbled in response.

“If you need me or Danny to beat the shit out of anyone bugging you about it, just let us know.” He held the door to the chemistry classroom open for her.

The desk her and Allison sat at was empty. Jackson offered up the seat next to him. She was a little suspicious about why he was being so nice, but maybe having that experience at the store made him feel like they had some sort of connection. A trauma bond. What a wonderful way to make a new friend.

“If either of you two need to leave class for any reason, let me know,” Mr. Harris told them.

Her step brother Danny was giving them a side eye, and he wasn’t the only one. Stiles was glaring at the back of Jackson’s head. When Stiles noticed Ray looking at him, he rolled his eyes then looked back down at his text book.

She felt bad for how Jackson treated Stiles on her behalf. Stiles didn’t mean to overwhelm her with questions, he was just a curious kid who was constantly trying to find solutions for their supernatural problems.

Her guilt only got worse when he bolted after class to avoid her. After school, she raced to his jeep to get there before him, but it was already gone from the parking lot.

Danny didn’t even try hiding his mischievous smile when Ray ask if he could drop her off at Stiles Stilinski’s house. On the drive over, she finally received a text back from the boy.

_Scott isn’t answering my calls. I found something._

Noah Stilinski looked perplexed as he answered the door. Usually he greeted Ray with a warm smile, so his questioning gaze made her nervous and feel like she had been caught doing something illegal.

“Raymona. .,” his eyes narrowed. “Scott’s not here.”

“I know,” she said sheepishly. “He’s been with Allison all day. I’m here for Stiles.”

Noah’s brows scrunched together, “Sorry it’s just. . This is the third time you’re here to hang out with my son.”

“Right, well. . We have known each other for ten years. .”

“But don’t you hate each other? I only ever saw you two hanging out if Scott was around to mediate.”

“Usually yeah! But now that Scotty’s got a girlfriend I guess we’re just. . Bored.”

“Bored, huh.” He did not look like he believed her one bit, but his interrogating tone switched back to the light hearted man she was used to. “How are you holding up since Saturday?”

“I’m. . .” Ray’s attention trailed off. She started to look past the sheriff into his home. Stiles was coming down the staircase with headphones in his ears and his eyes closed as he air drummed. He was completely oblivious his dad was talking to someone at the front door.

Noah put a comforting hand in her shoulder, luckily it was the one that wasn’t still sore. “Hey, that’s alright. We don’t have to talk about it. I’m here if you need an ear though.”

“You aren’t going to parent teacher conferences?”

“Right, right, I will be hear after I get back from that. . The fridge is full of left overs and I would appreciate it if you would have as much as you want so that it all doesn’t go to waste.” He grabbed his coat from the hook. “Try not to kill my son without Scott here.”

“No promises.” Ray told him with a smile.

Once he was gone, Ray wandered toward the kitchen where Stiles had gone. He was digging through the fridge and landed on grabbing a cheese stick. When he turned back around and noticed Ray sitting at the kitchen island, he clutched the cheese stick to his chest and gasped.

“How the hell did you get in here?”

“Your dad let me in. You know, for someone who’s recently learned there is a murdering Alpha werewolf lurking around town, you are not very aware of your surroundings.”

“Pardon me for feeling safe in my own kitchen.” Stiles angrily bit the cheese stick. He stormed out of his kitchen and took the stairs up to his room two at a time. Ray jogged to keep up with him.

“So?” She asked, “What’d ya find?”

Stiles sat in his desk chair and spun around to face where Ray had decided to sit on his bed. Stiles didn’t know if he even wanted to explain what he found to Ray. The way she let Jackson treat him earlier kind of ticked him off. Yeah, he was asking a lot of questions and may have deserved it, but since when does Ray take Jackson’s side on anything?

Sadly, Scott still wasn’t returning Stiles’s calls and frantic texts. Ray was the only person he could vent to.

He started to explain, “After fifth period, I went to go see Lydia-“

“Wait-wait, you left school to go see Lydia?”

“Yeah, I had to find out if she saw anything Saturday. And she-“

“Do you still like her?” Ray blurted out.

Stiles fumbled over his words, dumbfounded at the accusation. “W-what? No. I just-“

“You just didn’t think to ask me if I wanted to go check on my friend with you?” Ray finished for him, putting words in his mouth.

Stiles scoffed. “Well, I was a little apprehensive talking to you after your new watchdog shoved me and told me to back off.”

The tension in the room felt like it might snap. Ray adverted her gaze on the boy and looked down at her hands. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was going to say, “That’s actually why I texted you earlier. Jackson was just being. . I don’t know what he was thinking. I know you weren’t trying to stress me out. If he acts like that again, I’ll tell him to stop.”

Ray braved a look over at Stiles. He was crossing his arms and glaring at her.

He asked, “You and Jackson are friends now or something?”

“So what if we are? We kinda experienced some traumatizing shit together. I think it’s okay if we act friendly.”

“Oh, but when we-“ Stiles motioned between the two of them, “experience traumatic shit like almost cutting off a dying werewolf’s arm, we still aren’t friends?”

Ray rolled her eyes. “Stiles, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we don’t exactly get along. Can’t you just. . just show me what you found?”

The boy sighed heavily. He tossed Ray the phone he had on his desk. Ray didn’t know how to work the device, but she pressed the center button to turn the screen on. Instantly a video started playing.

The video was dark and not the best quality, but the alpha could be seen clearly breaking through the front window of Ray’s work. The video ended, cutting off Lydia’s scream. The alpha was frozen mid jump. It’s mouth had been open to roar, revealing it’s sharp teeth. Ray was focused on it’s glowing eyes. Stiles’s bedroom seemed to slip away. Images of the creature attacking Scott the night he was bit flooded back.

The phone was taken from her. She stared down at her empty hands. Her red nail polish suddenly made her feel sick.

“Ray,” Stiles had been trying to get her attention. He sat next to her on the bed and waved his hand in front of her blank face. “Earth to Ray. Come in, Ray.”

“Derek wasn’t lying,” she whispered. “That’s what attacked Scott.”

“Exactly, which is why it’s a problem that Lydia had this on her phone.” Stiles groaned and laid back on the bed. He jumped slightly when Ray did the same, landing right next to him.

She started counting the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. Her hands worked to scratch the nail polish off her nails.

Stiles looked to the girl’s hands then studied her vacant stare. “Should I not have showed you that?”

Her voice was barely even a whisper, “Probably not.”

“Shit, sorry.”

“S’okay.” Twenty three stars and two crescent moons decorated the ceiling above his bed. “What if. . What if it was meant to be me and not Phil. . ,” Ray wondered, “because I saw it attack Scotty. .”

“I. . haven’t thought of that,” Stiles admitted.

Ray cleared her throat. “So if I am murdered then you should probably know I don’t like. . totally hate you.” She laid on her side to face him and cracked a smile.

Stiles let out a laugh. “Well that’s good to know.”

“And I expect you to cry like a baby at my funeral.”

“Will do.”

“And. . Can I borrow that Batman comic you were talking about?”

“As long as you return it before the Alpha kills you,” Stiles said as he sat up to find the comic.

“I’ll have it back by Friday.”

“Make it Wednesday, and we have a deal.”

“That only gives me one day to read it, Stilinski.”

“Well if I never get my comic back because you die then I’m going to tell everyone at your funeral about the time there was a lizard on your trampoline when we were eleven and you-“

“Alright!” Ray covered her face with her hands to hide her warming cheeks. “Wednesday! Deal!” Stiles handed her the comic and she slipped it into her backpack. “So. . want to watch A League of Their Own while we wait for Scott to call you back?”

Stiles grabbed Lydia’s phone from his nightstand. Her tiredly rubbed his face then looked down at the device. “I think I should just delete it. Lydia’s all drugged up right now and convinced it was a a mountain lion. It’s probably for the best if she doesn’t see this again.”

“I agree,” Ray said carefully, “and I think Scott would too.”

His thumb hovered over the option to delete the video. Ray lightly put her hand on his shoulder then squeezed. He deleted the video then put the phone on his desk.

After a moment of silence, Ray asked, “So is that a no on the movie then?” She let her hand fall from his shoulder.

“Gee I just don’t know how I feel about spending time with my enemy,” Stiles said as he rolled his eyes.

“Don’t they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” Ray stood up and walked to the hallway. She turned back and gave the boy a mischievous smile before quoting, “‘Are you comin’? See, how it works is, the train moves, not the station.’”

“What’s the point of watching it if you can just act it out scene by scene?”

A bowl of popcorn was set between them on the couch. Ray had one foot on the couch with her knee up to hug and lean against. Her eyes were closed, but she could imagine every scene vividly.

The ringtone on Stiles’s phone caused her to sit up and stop dozing off. Stiles seemed confused as he read the caller ID.

“Hey, Melissa what’s. . .-“ His eyes went wide and his torso seemed to freeze up. “Is-is he. .oh my god. Thank god. Okay. Yeah. That’s fine I’ll- I’ll be right there.” He stood from the couch so fast he nearly knocked the popcorn bowl over. Ray lunged to catch it before it could spill all over the floor.

“Stiles? What’s wrong?”

“My dad he-he. .” Stiles rubbed his hand over his hair. His breathing started to deepen and accelerate.

“Hey, hey. Whoa.” Ray stood up from the couch to stand in front of him. He had gotten like this a few times before, but it had been a few years since she had witnessed it. She guided him to sit back down on the couch then took a knee in front of him. His hands were curled up into tight fists. She opened them and said, “Close your eyes and breathe while I count, okay?”

She slowly tapped each of his fingers, counting to ten. By the time she got to seven, Stiles seemed to calm down, but she finished counting just to make sure. Once she was done, she looked up from his hands and frowned at the sight of his tear stained cheeks.

She spoke softly, “Hey, there’s no crying in baseball.”

Stiles snorted. “You’re seriously the worst.”

Ray sat next to him on the couch. “Is your dad. .?”

“He’s fine,” Stiles and Ray both let out a sigh of relief when he said it. “Melissa just. . She worded it bad to start out with. He just got banged up, no broken bones or anything. I’ve gotta pick him up from the hospital.”

“Let me call my mom, and then I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“You shouldn’t have to sit and wait for him to sign papers and shit alone.” Ray nudged him slightly, “Besides, wouldn’t be smart of me to let my enemy out of my sight now would it?”

While they waited at the hospital, Ray disappeared for a minute then came back with a Reese’s for the two to share. Stiles stared at the cup in his hand then watched her take a bite of her own. He wondered how she knew he was craving one. There was something else bothering him as well.

“You knew what to do earlier. . How?” he said.

Ray took the wrapper from him to throw away. “You used to do that all the time when we were in like, what was it. . fifth grade, I think? and sometimes in middle school. .” She shrugged. “Scotty and I always used to talk you down.”

His dad finally came out into the waiting room. “You kids ready?”

Ray’s hand comfortingly patted Stiles’s knee as she stood up. “Yes. My mom will be happy to hear I’m finally on my way home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother’s Day!
> 
> I know I just uploaded a couple days ago, but I’m really excited for the next few chapters! Enjoy my inspiration while it lasts. I’m not sure what my upload schedule will be like once I go back to work.  
> Writing these author’s notes in first person always feels so strange. .anyway. . 
> 
> Jackson is such an interesting character to me! Who do you wish the writers would have dived deeper into on the show?


	6. Love/Hate

It was past 10 on a Tuesday night. Raymona wasn’t expecting to hear a tap on her window. She jumped at the noise, but she immediately relaxed seeing her best friend’s face through the glass. There must be something serious going on for her neighbor to show up at this hour. She bit her lip and halfway closed her laptop so that the program wouldn’t stop running. Her window was jammed slightly, but Scott was able to help her open it the rest of the way.

He immediately closed then locked the window behind himself. He even closed the curtains. A wave of dread washed over the room.

“What’s wrong, Scotty?”

“I need to borrow your phone. Derek broke mine, and I have to tell him I just saw the alpha.”

The hairs in the back of her neck stood up. Her eyes darted to the closed window. “Wh-where? Here?”

“No, no don’t worry. It was at Allison’s. It left after it drew some spiral on my window.”

Ray handed her friend her phone. Her eyes nervously darted to the laptop then back to him. He didn’t seem to notice anything was up and handed her back the phone once he was done.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. .,” She noticed how uneasy Scott looked. “Are you alright? It didn’t attack you?”

Scott shook his head. “No it just. . Drew the spiral. It has to mean something. . Derek will probably know.”

“Derek. . . Who you are trusting to teach you. . despite the fact that you just said he broke your phone?”

“There isn’t exactly a wide range of teachers to choose from. But yeah, he broke it because he thinks I need to stay away from Allison. She’s a distraction.”

“And yet you were at her house just now?” Ray said with a laugh. Her friend’s whole world centered around Allison at this point. Ray didn’t blame him, the new girl was all that and a bag of chips. Kind, gorgeous, smart, patient. .If only she didn’t come from a family of werewolf hunters.

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, you got me there. I mean, I had to tell her I broke my phone somehow.”

“Couldn’t do it at school tomorrow?”

“Okay and maybe I wanted to do other things one last time before I have to start avoiding her.”

Ray rolled her eyes. “Gross.”

Scott sat on her bed, dangerously close to the laptop. “Stiles is still mad at me.”

“Have you tried apologizing?” Ray casually pushed the laptop further back on the bed.

“Yes, but he wouldn’t answer my calls or texts or talk to me at school.” Scott covered his face with his hands. “Why does it feel like it’s one thing after another? I keep messing up, and I can’t catch a break.”

“Stiles will forgive you eventually.”

“Have you heard from him?”

“From Stiles?” Ray asked. Her voice seemed an octave higher.

“Yeah, like. . Is his dad okay?”

Ray suddenly felt calmer, knowing she wouldn’t have to lie. “Yeah, he’s fine. Sore, but he’s going back to work tomorrow.”

“Good. Good.” Scott got up from the bed. “Well I’m going to go wait for Derek at my place. See you at school?”

“For sure. Goodnight, dude.”

“Night.”

Ray closed and locked her window behind him. She jumped onto her bed and yanked open her laptop. “Did ya catch all that?”

“Yeah,” Stiles sounded unamused.

“Well good. Maybe I should just wear a wire whenever I talk to Scott so that I don’t have to relay every detail to you. . Or you could just forgive him.”

“Not happening.”

“Yeah yeah,” Ray rolled her eyes. Stiles and Scott never argued for more than a week. She doubted this would last much longer. “Hey I’m gonna go read that comic now since it due back tomorrow.”

Stiles seemed to lighten up at the topic change. “Can’t wait to hear what you think.”

The girl logged off of her laptop then cracked open the comic.

The next day, the weathered looking comic was slapped onto Stiles’s chest. His hand grazed over the girl’s who put it there. The blush that touch caused Ray seemingly went unnoticed by him. Or he chose to ignore it. Either way, Ray was thankful.

He put the comic in his mess of a locker and asked, “What crawled up your butt? Didn’t like the story?”

“The story? Stiles! Catwoman and Batman had sex!”

“Uh, hell yeah they did.”

“You said we are like them!”

“Yeah, they have the whole love/hate thing going on.”

“Love/hate thing?” The girl didn’t get to press further because Stiles had caught sight of Scott McCall entering the hallway. He quickly shut his locker and bolted toward the direction of his class. “Stiles, wait!”

“Trouble in paradise?” Lydia Martin linked her arm with Ray to guide her in the opposite direction of the boy she was yelling at.

“It’s not like that.”

“Well I think it’s hot. Kinda makes me want to start an argument with Jackson.” Lydia twirled her hair around her finger. “Oh, look who it is. I bet he’ll agree with me that you and Stiles totally have a thing.”

“Don’t drag him into this,” Raymona begged.

“Hey Scott!” Lydia said cheerily.

Thankfully Scott seemed in a rush to get to class and narrowly avoided the two girls. Ray had not talked to Scott about the awkward situation with Stiles and the Not Date that Totally Wasn’t a Date. In all honesty, she worried bringing it up would change their dynamic. Things have already turned upside down from all the werewolf stuff.

It was also hard not to feel a little distant when Scott was always hanging out with his girlfriend instead of her and Stiles. Maybe things would go back to the way they were now that he was meant to be avoiding Allison. No more awkward encounters with Stilinski if Scott was always standing between the two of them. Ray looked forward to that.

“Oh well,” Lydia said as she led Ray to class. “Guess we’ll have to see what Allison thinks about it in French.”

French class went horribly. Allison joined in on the teasing Raymona train then had the audacity to ask if she wanted to change lab partners. Allison wanted to be with Scott so that they could study together. That would mean Scott’s previous partner, Stiles, would become Raymona’s new partner. Lydia was thrilled by this idea and spent the rest of class giving her “study date” advice in French. Raymona was fortunate to only understand half of the lude things Lydia was suggesting.

Still, she was desperate to change the subject. “Have you guys thought about what you’ll write your the history final on?”

“That’s not even due until like, the end of May,” Lydia pointed out.

“Yeah, but aren’t you interested in learning about your family history?”

“Not really. Both my parents sides are painfully white and boring.”

Allison pulled a book out of her backpack. “I’ve started looking into the history of my last name. It’s pretty cool so far. In French it means silver. My aunt was telling me last night that there is some folklore about my dad’s side of the family I should look into.”

“That’s pretty cool. I don’t know too much about my dad’s side, just that he’s from Greece. I’ll probably end up writing about my mom’s family coming from Mexico,” Raymona said.

Lydia was suddenly very interested in the conversation, “Wait, your dad’s from Greece. . Like. . His grandparents were from there?”

“No, my dad was doing a college semester in LA when he met my mom. He wasn’t meant to stay, but I was formed. .so then they dated for a few years. Now he spends summer and winter breaks in a trailer in Santa Cruz to like, be a part of me and my little brother’slife or whatever.”

“Do you have a picture of him?” Lydia asked.

Ray scrolled through her phone until she came across a picture of her little brother and their dad cleaning a surfboard. Lydia and Allison both huddled close to her to see the small screen. Lydia gasped. The red head snatched the phone so she could enlarge the photo.

“Holy shit, he’s chiseled!”

“Lydia!” Allison tried to chastise the girl, but it didn’t sound very threatening between her laughter.

Ray felt like she was going to be sick. “That’s my dad, you freak!”

“Does he ever visit you here?”

“No, he says the woods freak him out, and I definitely wouldn’t tell _you_ if he did!” Ray took her phone back from her friend. “Disgusting.”

After that traumatizing class period, Ray sat with Eddie at lunch. Lydia would never dare to come up and bother her while she was with the punk kids. Not only did Ray want to avoid conversations about Stiles, but now Lydia wanted to play 20 questions about Ray’s dad.

Gabby joined them at the lunch table. She asked Ray how she had been feeling since Saturday. Ray gave her a short answer, just saying her shoulder was feeling slightly better. Thankfully, Gabby quickly changed the subject to how sneaking out with Greenberg went. The two were official now, and he was planning on taking her to the Winter Formal in a few weeks.

Eddie was proud to announce he had gotten a job working nights at the gas station. Now that the DVD store was closed for good, the two were no longer working opposite schedules. Eddie pointed out that Ray would be able to go to his next gig.

“This Saturday?” Ray confirmed as the bell rang.

“9pm, and don’t forget your fake.”

Gabby crossed her arms. “Where the hell are you going to get a fake?”

Ray smirked. She knew just the person, and she wouldn’t even have to leave home to get it. Hopefully he wouldn’t take too much convincing, but that was a worry for another day. For now Ray just focused on getting through the school day.

Stiles sat behind Ray in Econ. This should not have been a problem since he was technically out of her sight, therefore less of a distraction. However, it was hard to ignore him when he kept leaning forward to whisper in her ear.

“Where were you at lunch?”

“With Eddie.”

There were a few beats of silence after that. She could hear him tapping his pen against his desk. For a moment she thought that had gotten rid of him, but he wasn’t done bothering her yet.

“You missed out on getting to hit Scott with lacrosse balls.”

“If you had been the target, maybe I would have showed.”

Scott snorted from the seat next to her, but his light hearted mood was short lived. Allison walked into class and sat in the seat behind him.

The plan to avoid her was not going great. He tried being short with her when she greeted him, but Allison didn’t take the hint. She began to tell him about how they were going to be lab partners and how excited she was to have more excuses to invite him over.

“Does this mean we’re partners now?” Stiles said while poking Ray’s shoulder with his pen.

The girl turned around to glare at him. “If you slack off and ruin my grade-“

Stiles cut her off, “I bet my grade is higher than yours in chem, and that’s with Harris hating me.” Ray really hated how smug he looked. “Why don’t you come over tonight and I’ll help you bring that 93 to a 100?” He leaned back in his seat, twirling his pen on his fingertips. Ray’s heart nearly stopped when he winked at her.

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”

Flirting, but Ray wasn’t going to say that in front of Scott and Allison. Her eyes narrowed on the boy. “Are you trying to annoy me?”

“Always.”

Coach Finstock decided to start the lesson by grilling Scott relentlessly about not doing the reading the night before. Ray could hear a faint beeping coming from behind her. She turned to chastise Stiles for being so obnoxious while their friend was getting yell at. The boy was looking at a phone that seemed to be tracking something. The louder Coach yelled at Scott, the faster the beeping became.

The number on the phone hit 140. The fear in Stiles’s eyes when he looked up at Ray confirmed what she was thinking. This had something to do with Scott. Possibly his heart rate? Derek told him it’s anger that controls the shift. Ray would be pretty angry if Coach has been yelling at her like that in front of the class.

Then the beeping started to slow. Ray looked to Scott and saw his hand locked with Allison’s behind his desk. She had managed to calm him down and help him control the shift. What if she was the answer? A way to keep him from turning on the full moon. .

After school Raymona caught up with Stiles and Scott in the halls. Scott groaned then said, “How am I supposed to control it? All we found out is what Derek already told me about it being the anger.”

“Um, hello? Were you not aware of how close you were to shifting in Coach’s class? I think you figured it out,” Ray told him.

“It's her,” Stiles told him.

Scott looked from Stiles to Ray, “What do you mean?”

“Not me! He’s talking about Allison,” Ray told him.

“Remember what you told me about the night of the full moon?” Stiles asked Scott, “You were thinking about her, right? About protecting her.”

“Okay. . .” Scott was clearly not following.

“Remember the night of the first lacrosse game? You said you could hear her voice out on the field.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, so that's what brought you back so you could score. And then after the game in the locker room, you didn't kill her. . . At least not like how you were trying to kill me. She brings you back, is what I'm saying,” Stiles told him.

Ray wondered when Scott tried to kill Stiles. . They definitely had not told her about that. The subject was probably avoided so that she wouldn’t nag them about how dangerous this all was. She couldn’t help but worry. .

“No, no, no, but it's not always true, because literally every time I'm kissing her or. . or touching her-“

“No, that's not the same. When you're doing that, you're just another hormonal teenager thinking about sex, you know?” Stiles told him. “You're thinking about sex right now, aren't you?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

Ray chuckled. Both boys looked at her.

“You too?” Stiles accused.

Her? Thinking about sex? She wouldn’t say that’s impossible, but it wasn’t exactly on her mind in that moment. She was a bit distracted with finding out that Scott had tried to kill Stiles and they hadn’t told her!

Now didn’t feel like the best time to grill them about it, though. Ray smirked as she thought of an opportunity to get back at Stiles for how he had acted in Econ.

Ray looked Stiles up and down then winked. “Well now I am.”

“That's-,” Stiles cleared his throat. His eyes avoided her entirely and instead focused just in Scott. The slight pink of his cheeks made Ray feel successful. Maybe he’d learn his lesson about trying to flirt with her to make her uncomfortable.

He eventually pulled himself together to continue on, “Anyway. . Look, back in the classroom when she was holding your hand, that was different, okay?”

“And also super cute,” Ray said as she nudged Scott.

“But it makes me weak,” Scott said.

Stiles disagreed, “I don't think she makes you weak. I. . I think she actually gives you control. She's kind of like an anchor.”

“You mean because I love her.”

The three of them stopped in the middle of the hallway. Ray’s eyes went wide.

“You what?” She asked at the same time Stiles said, “Exactly.”

Scott realized his mistake, “Did I just say that?”

“Yes, you just said that,” Stiles informed him.

“I love her.”

“That's great. Now, moving on-“

“No, no, no, really. I think I'm totally in love with her.”

Ray put a hand over her heart and sighed happily. Her best friend was grinning so big. She almost wanted to take out her phone and get a picture of this moment.

Scotty’s first love.

Stiles was less enthusiastic, “And that's beautiful. Now, before you go off and write a sonnet, can we figure this out, please? Because you obviously can't be around her all the time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry.”

“Maybe if you think of her when you get angry it will calm you down?” Ray offered. “But how would you test that. .”

The two looked to Stiles who was smirking.

“Oh, no. You're getting an idea, aren't you?” Scott asked.

“Yeah.”

“Is this idea gonna get me in trouble?”

“Maybe.”

“Is this idea gonna cause me physical pain?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

Ray interjected, “Hey, I can’t be getting into trouble again. I’m on thin ice with my mom as is.”

“Then be lame and don’t come with us,” Stiles told her.

“Stiles,” Scott gave him a stern look, “don’t be like that. We get it if you can’t come, Ray.”

Ray sighed heavily. She looked away from Scott’s innocent brown eyes then cursed under her breath. “Okay. Fine. I’m in.”

“Awesome!” Stiles swung his arm around her shoulder to direct her out into the parking lot. “And afterwards we can still study like planned!”

“I never agreed to that,” she told him.

“You two are going to study?” Scott asked. “Like. . . Together?. . Without me?”

“Yeah, we’re _lab partners_ now thanks to Allison,” Stiles said.

“The things I put up with for you to have quality time with your girlfriend,” Ray said as she rolled her eyes. “You owe me, Scotty.”

“Don’t worry,” Stiles told her. “He’s about to get payback from both of us.”

“What exactly are we doing?” Scott asked.

Stiles looked around the parking lot. “You'll see. Hold on.” He turned to Ray, “You, walk over there.”

Ray crossed her arms. “Stiles, why do I-“

“Can’t you just trust me? Just this once?”

“I have you trusted before.”

“And? Have I ever let you down?”

“Many times, actually-like every time.”

“Just-,“ he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just go to the other side of the parking lot. I’ll be right there.”

Ray went to the other side and waited. Stiles positioned Scott to hold up his key and stay put. Stiles got out his own key and dragged it along side a truck. Ray gasped in disbelief. The whole side of it had one long scratch in the once pristine paint job.

Stiles stood next to her then yelled out, “Hey, hey, hey, dude! What do you think you're doing to that truck, bro?”

“What the hell?” The owner of the truck yelled. Him and his three friends stormed over to Scott. The four men started beating the shit out of their friend.

“What the fuck, Stiles!” Ray moved to go help Scott, but Stiles held her back.

“He’ll heal,” Stiles reminded her.

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt him!”

She tried to move again, but Stiles showed her the phone. “Look, it’s working.”

“No shit! I bet your heart rate would be skyrocketing too if you were getting the shit beaten out of you!”

The men had knocked Scott to the ground and started kicking him. Stiles winced, but still he held Ray back.

“Ah, come on, stay calm. Stay calm. Oh, that's not okay. Scott. Come on, buddy.”

The heart monitor was reaching 159 when suddenly it started dropping back to a normal pace.

“It’s working,” Ray said in disbelief. “It’s working, so now we can end it.” She pulled herself free from Stiles and raced toward Scott. “Stop! Stop, please!”

Thankfully, their teacher Mr. Harris showed up to help her pull the guys off Scott. “Stop! Hey, stop it right now.” Finally the men left Scott. Raymona helped him up. “What do you idiots think you're doing?”

“He-,” Ray fumbled over her words, clearly distressed her friend had been used as a punching bag, “he didn’t-“

“I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I’ve had enough of you two boys lately. Stilinski, McCall, detention. Now.”

“But, sir,” Ray tried again.

“You want to join them, Nerine?”

Raymona instantly shut up, knowing her mother would cancel her birthday and probably her driving test if she ended up in detention for a petty fight. She was lucky Harris pitied her for already being on the verge of crying and knew not to push it.

Stiles tapped on on the shoulder as he walked past to follow Harris to detention. “I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“I never agreed to. .,” her voice trailed off since he already made it into the building.

Allison, for some unknown reason, decided to tell Lydia that she over heard Stiles inviting Raymona over to study during Econ. Once Ray finished her bike home, she was bombarded with messages from a group chat between her and the two girls.

 _il l’a invitée ce soir. ._ Allison texted.

 _Comme à un rencard d'études?_ Lydia asked.

 _oui! ils sont tellement mignons!_ Allison answered.

Ray blinked and reread the messages a few times before giving up and typing back, _y’all know it’s my first year of French and I’m clueless without my book in front of me, right?_

Allison wrote, _we were just discussing your study DATE with Stiles tonight_

 _What are you going to wear? Something to make me proud I hope. ._ Lydia sent.

Ray threw her backpack and notebook somewhere in her room then sat at her desk chair to respond, _it is not a date!_

The next message was from Lydia, _Yeah. . Just like bowling wasn’t a date ;)_

_I hate you both_

_be honest, Ray! don’t you think Stiles is cute?_ Allison asked her.

Ray had to put down her phone. She didn’t want to answer that because. . the truth was too much to admit. Stiles was a constant source of trouble and annoyance. Anyone that had been in her life long enough knew her and Stiles bickered. That’s how they communicated. It wasn’t some form of flirting like Allison and Lydia assumed. They just didn’t know her well enough.

Although, lately Stiles had seemed. . Well his arguing had definitely seemed flirty, but that was only because he was teasing her about their not date. Like earlier in Econ when he fucking winked at her. That. . jerk. He was only trying to get under her skin.

But what if. . No! Raymona couldn’t afford to even dream of what ifs. Her best friend was Scott, and Scott’s other best friend was Stiles, her and Stiles didn’t get along. That’s how things were. Ray can’t go changing the dynamic now! If she made a fool of herself then Scott would totally pick Stiles’s side and then. . she’d lose her best friend and her. . enemy? Besides, it’s not like she liked Stiles in that way. Lydia and Allison were just putting thoughts in her head.

What if the girls were right? Or, half right. . . She had talked to Stiles about the date and he agreed it wasn’t one, well. . until he said it was one just to bother her. Maybe he wasn’t just trying to bother her. Maybe to him. . that was a date. What if he actually meant studying to night as a study date as well?

Should she ask him? Clarify all this? What if the girls were wrong and Stiles hadn’t even thought of any of this in that way at all. And by bringing it up to him she would look like the one who. .

Caught feelings. .

Because she totally, definitely has not. That would be insane. Imagine how crazy that would be, her and Stiles dating. It would definitely result in pure chaos, and she would probably lose Scott as a friend.

Ray checked the time on her phone and realized she didn’t have much longer until Stiles was supposed to pick her up. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that. . She wasn’t going to decide. She had to prepare for all possible outcomes. Her body went on autopilot to get ready while her brain worked full speed to over think everything.

If Stiles had meant for that night to be a study date, then she’d be ready. If they ended up just reading through their text books then. . she’d be okay with that too. She wouldn’t ask him if he had the intentions Allison and Lydia assumed. That way, if no move was made. . She couldn’t look like a fool and she wouldn’t have to lose the dynamic with him and Scott.

Raymona couldn’t help but feel stupid running around her room looking for a specific skirt. She honestly didn’t know why it was stuck in her head that she had to change and look good. Stiles was the one who potentially like her, not the other way around.

Lydia and Allison were both sending her encouraging texts. They were trying to ease her nerves, but Ray kept insisting things were not like that with Stiles. The last thing she wanted was for Allison and Lydia to ask how things went and for her to explain nothing happened after showing signs of hope.

Besides, Stiles and Ray would probably just end up bickering over what they wanted to do for their final project. Which, she would totally be okay with.

She finally found that skirt and saw herself with it in the mirror. Ridiculous. Why had she done all of that? The fresh makeup, the tank top that hung a little too low to show of the lace of her bralette, the fact that she curled her hair (something she rarely did for school) it was all too much. She looked like Lydia Martin had played dress up with her.

It would be okay to back out. She had already told Allison and Lydia that they were wrong. Stiles probably wouldn’t think twice if she just called him and said not to pick her up. There was nothing forcing her to commit to even going to this study date. Or. . This not date study date. Study session?

Ugh.

Ray pulled her hair out of her face by throwing it up in a ponytail. With that out of the way, she started to feel better. She bent down to pick up the flannel she wore to school that day off the floor, but got distracted by her ringtone.

Stiles was calling.

Her head whipped around to look out her window, sure enough, his jeep was parked in front of her house. How had she not heard it pull up? She always heard it pull up!

“Shit!” Ray threw on the flannel so quick she feared the material might rip. She ran around her room to collect all the actual things she would need for studying. Why had she prioritized her outfit before finding her highlighter set? Where. The. Hell. Was her notebook?

“Raymona! Stiles is here!” Her younger brother Jayden yelled up the stairs.

The girl shoved her tennis shoes on without untying the laces. “Tell him to-!” Ray opened her bedroom door, coming face to face with the boy in question. “Stiles.”

“Hey-,” Stiles rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re usually yelling at me through your window the second I pull up. I thought maybe you’d forgotten, and you weren’t answering my texts. .”

“Right! Sorry I was just. . looking for my notebook.”

“The one laying on your bed?”

“Yes!” Ray turned and grabbed the book. “Hiding in plain sight. Thank you, Stilinski.”

As she was leaving her room, Stiles entered it. He grabbed her backpack. “Forgetting something?”

“Right, gonna need that.”

“And yet I’m the one prescribed Adderall.”

Ray said goodbye to her step dad and brother. As soon as she shut the front door, her eyes landed on Scott McCall. Her friendly neighbor was waving at her from the passenger seat of the jeep. She smiled at him, trying her best to seem normal. Ray would take a bullet for Scott even though he can heal from them. Seriously, she loved the kid, but. .

Why the hell was Scott studying with them?

He got out of the jeep to let her climb in the back. Ray gave him a warm smile then said, “Scotty! Hey! You’re here!”

“Of course I’m here. .” He patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t think you guys could locate the Alpha without me. .“

The smile dropped off the girl’s face. “We’re doing what now?”

“Stiles, you didn’t tell her!?”

“She wasn’t answering my texts!”

“I’m not going.” Raymona started marching back up the lawn to her house.

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait. Ray!” Stiles grabbed her arm. “It’s just a quick detour and then we’ll study like planned.”

“How are we going to have time to study if we are driving around looking for a murdering beast, Stilinski?”

“We won’t be looking for him. He’ll be coming to us,” Scott explained.

“That doesn’t make him any less of a murderer, you meathead!” Ray threw her hands up in anger. It was rare that anger was directed at Scott.

“We have to prove to Derek it isn’t my boss,” Scott pleaded.

His voice sounded so desperate. Scott wouldn’t lead her astray, she knew that. If this was his plan. . Maybe it would work. Ray threw her backpack into the back seat then crawled back there.

“If I die tonight, I swear to god I’ll chop both of you up and hand feed you to the alpha myself,” Ray grumbled.

“Her jokes have layers now,” Stiles commented.

Of course there was that little constant feeling of _we’re going to die_ , but breaking into the school was pretty cool. Ray couldn’t wait to tell Eddie and his band mates about it Saturday. She wondered what kind of stuff they had done. Had anyone else in her grade broken into the school before?

Hearing Scott’s roar ripple through the loud speakers and shake half the town was also pretty damn cool. Derek Hale was outside, ready to capture or kill the alpha when it showed up. Ray still wasn’t too sure what the exact plan was. . All she knew was Scott wanted to prove that his boss wasn’t the alpha so that Derek wouldn’t wrongfully kill his boss.

What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Ray followed behind the two boys as they all went back out to meet up with Derek. Soon this plan would be over and she would be sitting at Stiles’s desk reading her chem notes. Their midterm was coming up, and it would be amazing to out score Stiles. She’d never let that go.

Derek was not as impressed by Scott’s howl. “I’m gonna kill all three of you. The hell was that? What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it would be that loud.”

“Yeah, it was loud, and it was awesome!” Stiles patted his best friend on the back.

“Shut up,” Derek seethed.

Ray had quickly learned from her previous encounter with Derek Hale that those were his favorite two words to use.

“Don’t be such a sour wolf.”

Ray rolled her eyes. She sounded tired as she spoke, “Stiles, don’t start.”

“He started it with his-,” Stile waved his hands around, “constant negativity.”

Scott grabbed their attention by asking, “What’d you do with him?”

Derek looked back at his car. The passenger door was open and his captive had gone missing. “I didn’t do anything. . .”

That’s not good, Raymona thought at she took a step back behind Scott and Stiles. If Scott’s boss really was the alpha then he is probably pretty pissed they tied him up and captured him. It also meant he was already here at the school. There wasn’t much time for an escape.

Ray tugged on the sleeve of Stiles’s jacket and said, “Maybe us humans should, you know, get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah, I think we’ve helped Scotty our to our full capacity,” Stiles agreed.

The look on Scott’s face made Ray feel a little bad for suggesting to ditch him, but he had a set of claws and the ability to heal! What did her and Stiles have? Quick wit and the ability to panic under stressful circumstances?

“You two are gonna leave just like that?” The heartbreak could be heard in the teen wolf’s voice.

“Let them,” Derek said. “We can ta-k-“ Derek was shoved forward slightly and choked on his own blood. The alpha had dug his claws into his back and used them to lift him up off the ground.

Ray screamed out in fear then quickly covered her own mouth. Stiles and Scott both tugged in her arms to get her to move. The three scrambled back toward the school as the alpha threw Derek’s lifeless body towards a nearby dumpster.

The three teens made it safely into the school, but with the chain broken, the doors weren’t much use. Scott and Stiles were each holding a door closed while Ray stared counting the tiles on the floor. Now was not the time to be panicking! She had to get control of herself.

“Lock it!” Scott said.

“Does it look like I have a key?” Stiles fired back.

“Grab something.”

“What?”

“Anything!”

Ray only made it to seven tiles before giving up. She was too distracted to use that tactic. It was hard to focus when the alpha could be hear roaring outside.

Stiles stood up to look out the window. Ray worried what she might see if she did the same, but she couldn’t help her curiosity. She peeled over his shoulder to see the bolt cutters he had used to break the chain to get into the school initially.

He couldn’t go out there to grab them! The alpha could be. . scratch that, probably was just around the corner, ready to attack!

“No,” Ray told him.

“Yes,” Stiles responded.

Scott put his hand out. “No, Stiles, don’t.”

Stiles completely disregarded his best friend. He looked to Ray and said, “Hold the door.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, March 13th at 12:03 am, I discovered Teen Wolf was taken off Amazon prime in the US. In the midst of my absolute devastation, I decided to but the entire box set on Apple TV.  
> Now finishing this fanfic is a requirement for me so that I don’t waste that money! Lol.  
> But now that I have Apple TV, I can check out that new show Chris Evans has been promoting !
> 
> This chapter was fun for me to write!  
> Hopefully it’s just as beautiful of a day for you guys as it is for me!


	7. Heat of the Moment

Ray squeezed the cool metal door handle. Holding it closed was practically the only thing holding her up at this point. Both her and Scott stayed focused on Stiles through the small windows of the door.

Stiles tiptoed toward the bolt cutters while looking around the school yard for any sign of the alpha. All seemed to be going well until Scott started beating in the door.

“Run! Stiles!”

Ray felt her heart plummet. The alpha was lurking from behind the jeep. Stiles and the beast noticed each other now that Scott had drawn attention to them.

Ray swung the school door open, yelling, “Come on!”

The alpha let out a roar before charging towards them. Stiles scrambled up the steps and got inside safely. Ray slammed the door shut and held them both while Scott shook his friend’s shoulders.

“You idiot!”

“But I got it,” Stiles held up the bolt cutters proudly.

“Great, now can you use them?” Ray said.

Stiles jammed the bolt cutters between the two door handles. It might have been secure enough to hold in a person, but it was loose enough to wiggle around. Ray wondered if that was all for nothing. Surely the alpha would be able to crash through it. .

Or one of the hundreds of windows in the school..

They were screwed.

“Where is it?” Scott asked as he looked out the window again. “Where did it go?”

“Probably looking for another way in,” Ray told him.

“That won't hold, will it?” Scott must have noticed how loose the bold cutters were too.

“Probably not,” Stiles said.

The two boys shared a look then started sprinting down the hall. Ray cursed under her breath then started running after them. By the time she caught up, she was running on very little steam. Her lungs felt like someone ran them over with a tractor. As they rounded a corner, Ray stopped to lean on it.

Both boys skidded to a hault. They were at her side in seconds.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked softly.

“I just need. . just a minute,” she mumbled.

Stiles, who was pacing the hallway, threw his hands up, “We don’t have a minute!”

Ray glared at him. “Oh sorry for not expecting my night would end running around the school and trying not to get eaten! I would have trained for a marathon if I had known!”

Her legs were shorter than theirs. Their jogging around the school had been her pushing her self at full speed to just keep up.

“Ray’s right,” Scott said. “We can’t keep running all night.”

Stiles jiggled a few doorknobs until he found an open classroom for them to hide out in. All three leaned against the door as soon as they slipped inside.

“The door won’t keep it out,” Ray whispered.

“What do we do?” Scott whispered back.

“The desk!” Stiles offered.

They grabbed the teachers desk and started pulling toward the door. It’s metal legs scraped loudly against the tile floor. The sound sent a shiver down Ray’s spine. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

“Stop, stop,” Stiles said breathlessly, “The door's not gonna keep it out.”

Scott groaned. “I know!”

“It's your boss.”

“What?”

“Deaton, the alpha? Your boss.”

“No.”

“Scott,” Ray interjected, “He escaped Derek’s bindings. That had to have taken strength. . He’s a werewolf.”

“Yes, murdering psycho werewolf,” Stiles added.

“That can't be,” Scott insisted.

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Oh come on. He disappears, and that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek 20 feet through the air? That's not convenient timing?”

“It's not him.”

“He killed Derek.”

“And he’s gonna kill us next,” Ray added.

“No,” Scott said as he shook his head in denial, “Derek's not dead. He can't be dead.”

“Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay? That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury!” Stiles told him. “He's dead, and we're next.”

“What do we do? We can’t just stay in this classroom forever!” Ray said as she paced between Scott and Stiles. She was holding tightly on to the necklace her dad gave her.

“It’s simple. We get to my Jeep, we get out of here, and Scott, you seriously think about quitting your job.”

“What about Derek?” Ray asked.

“Sucks to suck!” Stiles told her

“We’re not leaving him,” Scott insisted. He walked up to the window and tried to pry it open.

Stiles sighed, “Those won’t open, the school’s climate controlled.”

“Then we break it?”

“That’ll make a lot of noise.”

“Then we’ll make a run for it,” Ray said, earning a harsh look from Stiles. She continued, “We’ll run fast.”

Scott looked out the window at how far the Jeep was. “Really fast,” he added.

“You’re in a skirt, Ray. How do you expect to outrun that thing?”

“Stiles,” Scott pulled them back to the matter at hand, “What’s wrong with the hood of your Jeep?”

Ray grimaced as she looked out the window. “That doesn’t look drivable.”

“Is it dented?”

“It’s bent.”

“What do you meant bent?”

A metal box came flying through the window above them. Ray screamed and covered her head. She bent down below the windows to get away from the falling shards of glass. Despite covering her head, a small piece still managed to cut into her cheek.

“Oh, fuck,” she cursed as she pulled out the piece of glass. It hadn’t gone deep, so it probably wouldn’t bleed much.

Stiles’s curiosity got the better of him as he put his hand on her cheek and got way too close to assess the damage. Ray did a sharp intake of air. She blinked a couple times in shock then shoved the boy away from her.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled.

“It’s not safe here. We have to-,” Stiles paused as he got a better look at what flew through the window. “-That’s my battery.”

He started to stand to examine it closer. Ray pulled him back down against the wall, fearful the alpha was about to jump through the window next. She talks a lot of shit, but she would rather not see Stiles be murdered in front of her.

“What if it see’s you?” Ray whispered.

“He could be right outside,” Scott added.

Stiles rolled his eyes and whispered back, “He is right outside.”

“Just. . let me take a look.” Scott slowly stood up to look out the window. Ray and Stiles copied his movements. Ray’s foot shifted on the glass. The noise made her jump slightly. She latched onto Stiles’s jacket to balance herself.

“Sorry,” Ray mumbled. The blood running down her cheek was cold. She tried to rub it off with her sleeve.

Stiles eyes flickered from Ray’s cheek to the window. He asked Scott, “Nothing?”

“No.”

“Move now?”

“Move now.”

Their next safe haven was the locker room. Scott told Stiles to call his dad for help in hopes that the alpha would run at the sight of cop cars surrounding the place. Stiles was not willing to get his dad involved.

“What if it doesn't run off? What if it goes completely Terminator and kills every cop in sight, including my dad?” Stiles was starting to forget they needed to be quiet.

They have guns,” Scott said, his voice started to raise as well.

“Yeah, and Derek had to be shot with a wolfsbane-laced bullet to even slow him down, you remember that?”

Ray stood between the two boys, placing a hand on each of their chests. “Stop arguing! Scott, calling Stiles’s dad isn’t an option. End of discussion.”

“Then we-We have to find a way out and just run for it,” Scott decided.

Stiles sounded slightly calmer now that his dad’s life wasn’t on the line, “There's nothing near the school for at least a mile.”

“What about Derek's car?”

“That could work. We go outside, we get the keys off his body, and then we take his car.”

“And him,” Scott and Ray both insisted.

“Fine!” Stiles threw his hands up, the flashlight he was holding zigzagged it’s light all over the locker room. “Whatever.”

Ray reached for the door to head out in search for the body. Scott stopped her, a fearful look on his face.

“What?” She whispered.

“I think I heard something.” Scott said. He gently pushed Ray behind him.

“Like what?” Stiles asked.

“Quiet,” Scott shushed the boy. He closed his eyes and listened for a second. Suddenly he was pushing Ray back toward the lockers. He twisted Stiles’s flashlight around so the light wasn’t visible. “Hide.”

Stiles opened on of the lockers in the loudest possible way. Ray and Scott both cringed at the noise, but then opted to go into lockers themselves. There wasn’t many other options in a locker room.

Once inside, Ray looked around for something to count. She couldn’t see much in the darkness. Her eyes closed tight and she tried to imagine being back in Santa Cruz with her dad and little brother playing on the beach.

The door to the locker room opened. Footsteps walked around to the row the three were hiding in. That was something she could count. The steps.

Eleven.

The person stopped. Ray could hear a locker being swung open.

“Son of a bitch!” A man yelled breathlessly.

Ray tumbled out of her locker and nearly ran into the janitor that had caught them. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Quiet!” Stiles told him.

“Quiet my ass,” the janitor yelled, “What the hell are you trying to do, kill me? All of you get out!”

“Will you just listen for half a second, okay?”

“Not okay. Get the hell out of here right now!” The janitor grabbed the two boys by the shirt and shoved them toward the door. Ray hurried after them out into the hall.

“God, just one second to explain,” Stiles begged.

“Just shut up and go!” The janitor shut the door in their faces.

A scream erupted from the locker room followed by a low growl. Scott reached for the door, only to jump back when the janitor is thrown against it. His blood splattered the window as he continued to scream.

“Go!” Stiles ushered his friends down the hall, away from the door, “Go!”

Their running was short lived this time. They came across a door that was blocked by a dumpster on the other side to keep them in. Stiles rubbed his hand over his hair. He wasn’t growing more irritable as the night went on, they all were.

As they were walking down the hall next to the main office, Stiles asked, “God, what is he doing? What does he want?”

“Me. Derek says it's stronger with a pack.”

“Oh, great. A psychotic werewolf who's into teamwork. That's-that's beautiful. .”

A red glow caught Ray’s eye. Through the giant wall of windows leading to the courtyard, she could see the Alpha on the roof the building across from them. It emitted a low growl as it noticed the three teens.

Ray didn’t want to run anymore. She wanted to just lay on the floor and cry.

Stiles and Scott both dragged her down the hall as the beast came hurtling towards them, crashing through one of the windows. Ray screamed and picked up her pace.

They ended up in the boiler room this time. No windows for the alpha to break through, but it was also unfamiliar to the teens. Ray backed up and ran into an open door that led to a small storage room. The boys looked at her in disappointment for almost falling yet again.

“What?” She snapped at them. “I’m tired, okay?”

“Alright,” Stiles said, “We can’t keep running around all night. We have to do something.”

“Like what?” Scott asked. Ray was wondering the same. It’s not like they had many other choices. Battling it would surely end in death.

Ray leaned against a desk in the narrow hallway and tried to control her breathing. Her hand clutched onto her necklace for dear life. It wasn’t bringing her much comfort.

“I don't know. Kill it, hurt it, inflict mental anguish on it. Something!”

Stiles looked at the desk Ray was leaning on. His eyes flickered to the door which led to a small storage room. Slowly he reached into his jacket pocket for his keys.

“What are you doing?” Scott tried to stop Stiles from whatever plan he was scheming.

Stiles ignored him and threw his keys into the storage room. He shoved both his friends around the corner then he raced back to the door to close it, locking the alpha in.

“The desk. Come on, the desk!” He urged Ray and Scott. The two turned the desk to the side and slid it in front of the door. It barely fit in the narrow hallway. The alpha wasn’t able to open the door no matter how hard it rammed into it.

“He can't-,” Scott mumbled in amazement.

Ray looked across the desk at Stiles. He was trying to catch his breath, but he had this huge proud smile on his face.

“I could kiss you right now, Stilinski.”

And in that moment she meant it. She didn’t know how he had come up with that plan so quick, but it was so fucking intelligent. She seriously wanted to jump over the desk and kiss him.

It must have been a heat of the moment type of thing.

“Let’s get out of here,” Scott said. He jumped over the desk then turned to help Ray over.

The three made it to the main hallway of the school when Scott stopped and asked, “Wait. Do you hear that?”

“Oh no,” Ray whined, “Don’t talk like that. When people say that shit in horror movies it means they’re about to be killed!”

“No, it. . It sounds like a phone ringing.”

Stiles looked around the hallway. “What?”

“I know that ring. It's Allison's phone,” Scott realized. “Ray, let me borrow your phone.”

“We just trapped that thing! Let’s get out of here before it finds a way out!” Stiles said.

Scott looked at Stiles like what he was suggesting was crazy, “If Allison is here, we have to find her!”

While Scott was on the phone with Allison, Ray took a moment to just lean against a locker. Stiles was next to her in an instant. He was still flinging that flashlight around carelessly, no doubt draining the battery.

“So,” he said, not at all coming across as casual as he wanted to be, “What was that earlier about wanting to kiss me?”

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “Keep your pants on, Stilinski. It was just something people say.”

“Right, yeah no, of course.” Stiles scratched the back of his next. “Just something people say. . Okay. . yeah. .”

The girl didn’t like the way her heart was trying to jump out of her chest. She was thankful when Scott interrupted to tell them they were meeting Allison in the lobby.

When they found Allison, she told them Scott had sent her a text from an unknown number saying to come to the school. As soon as she said Jackson and Lydia drove her, the It couple burst into the lobby as well.

A wave of relief washed over Lydia’s face. She asked, “Can we go now?”

For once, Ray was thankful to see Jackson. She’d curl up in the fetal position in the tiny trunk of his porche if that meant getting out of here alive.

A thundering came from above them. The six teens looked up to see huge dents in the ceiling leading toward them. Fear set back in. Ray wondered if she would ever get to stop running.

The alpha had gotten out of Stiles’s trap.

“Run!” Scott yelled to the group just as the beast crashed through the ceiling.

The six of them made it to the cafeteria. As soon as they got in, Scott and Jackson started working on barricading the door. Stiles was yelling for them to wait. Allison started to help the boys pile things against the door while Lydia tugged on Ray’s arm. She kept asking her what was going on, and Ray didn’t know what to say.

“Guys? Stiles talking,” Stiles called to the group, still they continued to barricade frantically. “Can we hang on one second, please?”

Lydia’s nails were practically digging into Ray’s wrist. She squared her red haired friend up by the shoulders and said, “It’s gonna be alright.”

“What’s gonna be alright?!” Lydia yelled back at her.

“Hello!” Stiles yelled over all of them, finally grabbing everyone’s attention so he could speak, “Okay, nice work. Really beautiful job, everyone. Now-what should we do about the 20 foot wall of windows?”

“Can somebody please explain to me what's going on, because I'm freaking out here. And I would like to know why. Scott?” Allison waited for his response. When nothing came she looked to her friend, “Ray?”

“Something killed the janitor,” Ray said.

Lydia looked like she was about to pass out just saying the word, “What?”

“Yeah,” Stiles confirmed, “the janitor's dead.”

Allison, Jackson and Lydia all went into a frenzy asking about who killed the janitor. They all put the pressure on Scott for an answer. Ray wished they hadn’t.

“It's Derek. It's Derek Hale,” Scott told them.

“Derek killed the janitor?” Jackson said in disbelief. Ray didn’t blame him. What Scott just said was completely absurd.

“Are you sure?” Allison asked.

“I saw him.”

Lydia looked petrified as she spoke. “The mountain li-“

“Don’t you get it?” Jackson interrupted her, “There was never a mountain lion.”

“Derek killed them,” Scott said again. Ray really wished he would stop saying that.

“All of them?” Allison asked him.

“Yeah, starting with his own sister, then bus driver, and Ray’s boss in the video store. . It's been Derek the whole time. He's in here with us. And if we don't get out now, he's going to kill us too.”

This led to the next argument of the night. Jackson told Stiles to call the cops, but Stiles was refusing. Jackson looked like he was about to smack the boy.

“W-what do you mean, ‘No’?”

“I mean no,” Stiles repeated a little firmer, “You wanna hear it in spanish? _No_. Look, Derek killed three people, okay? We don't know what he's armed with.”

“Your dad is armed with an entire sheriff's department. Call him.”

“I don’t think you’re fully grasping this situation,” Ray said lowly to Jackson who just stared her down.

Lydia got annoyed with all the arguing, “I'm calling.”

Stiles moved forward to stop the girl, saying, “No, Lydia, would you just hold on a sec-“ Scott and Ray both held him back.

“Yes, we're at Beacon Hills high school. We're trapped, and we need you to-but-,” Lydia looked at her phone in complete and utter shock. “She hung up on me.”

“The police hung up on you?” Allison asked.

“She said they got a tip warning them that there are gonna be prank calls about a break-in at the high school. She said if I called again that they're gonna trace it and have me arrested.”

“Okay, then call again.”

“No,” Stiles told them, “they won't trace a cell and they'll send a car to your house before they send anyone here.”

This sent the group into another panic of asking Scott a million questions. Scott started to get irritated answering everything the same way. Eventually he raised his voice at Allison, suprising everyone.

“I don't know!”

Stiles stepped forward to pull Scott away from the group, “Alright, why don't we ease back on the throttle here, yeah?”

While the two boys talked, Allison, Lydia and Jackson turned their attention to Ray for answers. Jackson got close to her, trying to intimidate her into answering.

“What the hell is going on, huh? Why won’t the spaz call his dad?”

“Shut the fuck up, Jackson,” Ray said back with even more venom than he had, “Don’t you dare fucking call him that.”

“Okay,” Allison said as she separated the two. “Seriously, Ray. Why can’t he just call his dad? The police are trained to know what to do with someone who’s armed, we aren’t!”

“Would you call your dad and have him put his life on the line? Do you know how many people have already been murdered?”

Jackson still wasn’t liking what he was hearing from Ray. He interrupted Stiles and Scott’s conversation, “Okay, assheads, new plan. Stiles calls his useless dad and tells him to send someone with a gun and decent aim. Are we good with that?” Scott and Stiles continued to mumble low enough that the other four couldn’t hear. Jackson got impatient and stepped forward yelling, “All right, give me the phone.”

The second he put his hand on Stiles’s shoulder Ray was shoving him to the ground. Jackson scoffed and stood up. He turned to shove Ray back, but was interrupted with a swift punch to his perfect jawline. Ray gasped and looked over to Stiles who was shaking out his fist to disguise the pain.

“Holy shit,” she mumbled as she stepped forward to take Stiles’s hand to examine it. Luckily, his knuckles weren’t bleeding.

“Jackson!” Allison yelled out, “Are you okay?”

Stiles begrudgingly took his hand back from Ray and got out his phone. “Dad, hey, it's me. And it's your voice mail. . .Look, I need you to call me back now-like, right now,” he said as the Alpha banged against the kitchen door. “We're at the school. Dad, we're at the school.”

The alpha slammed against the door so hard that screws came flying out of the door hinge. The whole group started to back away from the door, but no one really knew what to do.

“The kitchen!” Stiles blurted out, “The door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell.”

“Which only goes up,” Scoot pointed out.

“Up is better than here.”

Next they locked themselves in the chemistry classroom. It had a door that led to a fire escape, but it was locked with a deadbolt. Scott offered to go out and get the keys off the dead janitor, but Ray wasn’t comfortable with that plan. She had to admit, it was their only option at this point. They were stuck in the third floor with no way out.

Jackson broke open the cabinet of chemicals so that Lydia could make Scott a Molotov Cocktail. Ray hoped setting the Alpha on fire would slow him down and not just piss him off more. Scott running from an alpha would already be dangerous enough. Imagine him trying to run from an alpha on fire.

The other person who was against Scott’s plan was Allison. She gave Scott a tearful goodbye kiss that tugged on Ray’s heartstrings. Ray didn’t want to say goodbye to Scott herself. She didn’t want this to be the last time she saw him.

After he was gone, Allison turned to Ray looking for an explanation, probably wondering why Scott would even dare to leave in the first place. Ray wished she could just tell Allison the truth about Scott. There was a higher chance he would survive out there against the Alpha especially now that he didn’t have Stiles and Ray running along side him, slowing him down. He’d also be able to track the body by scent, something no one else in the group could do.

Ray would have gone out there in his place in a heartbeat if they had the same abilities.

“What the hell were you guys even doing here in the first place,” Jackson asked Ray and Stiles. His jawline was starting to redden from the punch he had received. When neither of the two responded, he started walking toward Stiles, demanding an answer, “Huh? The hell were you thinking coming here?”

Ray jumped down from the desk she had been sitting on. She shoved Jackson away from Stiles who quickly put his arm around her waist to pull her away from starting another fight.

“Lay off. It’s not his fault,” Ray seethed.

Lydia squinted at Ray and Stiles. She pointed at them and said, “I thought you two were supposed to have a study date tonight.”

“Not a date,” Ray said as she took a step away from Stiles. She looked to him, assuming he was going to back her up on that. He had this unreadable look as he met eyes with Lydia.

He must still have some sort of feelings for the redhead. Of course he would, she’s perfect. At least Ray knew now that Allison and Lydia had been wrong.

“Sure,” Lydia said as she rolled her eyes.

“Then what were you guys doing here?” Allison asked desperately.

The lie wasn’t her strongest, but it’s all she was able to come up with in the moment, “We needed a chemistry book. We both left ours in our lockers. .”

“You broke into school to get a textbook?” Jackson deadpanned.

“Yes.” Ray glared at him for doubting her. “Not every crime is morally wrong.”

A soft exhale from Stiles let her know he was trying not to laugh. No doubt he was memorizing that line to use the next time his dad caught him doing something questionable.

“So you were going to study. .,” Lydia said, “. .wearing that?”

“Lydia,” Allison whispered, warning her she was crossing a line. Ray felt her cheeks heat up. Her hands instantly when to smooth down her skirt, hoping to make it seem longer.

Lydia put her hand on her hip. “What, Allison? Is all this adding up to you?”

“It’s not like we expecting to witness the janitor being murdered when we got here,” Stiles finally joined in to help Ray with the story. His sarcastic tone was kind of making things seem more believable, but still no one seemed one hundred percent sure.

“But why would Derek send a text to me to come here?” Allison wondered.

The fact that Scott brought Derek into all of this baffled Ray. He essentially blamed an innocent dead guy for numerous murders around town. She didn’t want to add to Scott’s lie and continuously paint Derek out to be a bad guy, but she also knew not to backtrack on what Scott said. Doing that would definitely make them see through her lies.

“I don’t know, maybe he overheard Scott telling me to hurry up and grab my book so that he could hang out with you?”

“And where is this book now?” Jackson asked.

“We didn’t get that far,” Stiles responded, sounding just as cold as Jackson had.

“Fine,” Lydia’s tone made it obvious she wanted the conversation to end. She crossed her arms and looked at the teacher’s desk. Something caught her eye. “Jackson, you handed me the sulfuric acid, right? It has to be sulfuric acid. It won't ignite if it's not.”

“I gave you exactly what you asked for tonight.”

“Yeah,” her eyes stayed focused on the bottle of sulfuric acid, “Yeah, I'm sure you did.”

A deep roar erupted, almost loud enough to shake the whole school like Scott’s did over the intercom earlier. Ray and Stiles instantly gave each other a knowing look. Her hand went to touch his for comfort, but stopped when Jackson suddenly fell to the ground before them. He clutched the back of his neck in pain.

Four deep punctures littered the back of his neck. Claw marks.

When had he gotten those?

The entire group moved to help him up, but he insisted, “No, I'm fine. Like, seriously, I'm okay.”

“That didn't sound okay at all,” Allison disagreed.

Stiles whispered to Ray, “Did you catch the back of his neck?”

Lydia put a comforting hand over Jackson’s back, but he swatted her hand away, still insisting that he was okay.

“Where's Scott? He should be back by now,” Allison pointed out.

Ray was starting to worry too. That roar from the alpha could have been a good thing. Maybe it was roaring out in agony as it burned from Lydia’s Molotov Cocktail. Or maybe it was roaring out in victory because it killed Scott.

Her worries were answered when a figure walked by the door again. Allison jumped from the table she was on to run to the window. The door knob giggled like someone had locked it.

“Scott! Scott!” She beat on the window a few times to grab his attention. She tried to open the door but it had been locked from the outside. 

“Where's he going?” Ray whispered to Stiles as if he had the answer.

“Scott,” Allison continued banging on the door like that was going to help. “Scott!”

“Stop,” Lydia grabbed her friend’s hand to make her stop beating in the door. “Stop! Do you hear that? Listen!”

Cop sirens in the distance started to get louder. The five teens ran up to the window. Sure enough, cop cars with flashing red and blue lights were pulling up to the front of the school.

Stiles didn’t join in on the relief this caused the others. Ray place a firm hand on his shoulder, directing him to look her in the eyes.

“Your dad’s gonna be just fine.”

Stiles just pulled her into a tight hug. He didn’t let go until his dad broke down the classroom door to set them free. Ray was thankful her face was tucked into his chest. She was able to hide her blush from Lydia and Allison who would probably assume Stiles meant this gesture in a non-platonic way. In reality, Ray knew he just needed a friend in that moment because he was worried for his dad.

Twenty minutes later, Ray sat on the school steps and wondered how the hell she was going to explain all of this to her mom. Luckily Stiles’s dad was going to give her a ride home. He’d probably relay most of the story to her mom, if not all of it. Still, her mother was going to grill her and probably never let her see Scott again. She definitely wouldn’t let her see Stiles ever again, although, Ray was starting to wonder if that would be a good thing.

The sheriff’s walkie went off. A deputy said, “We found the body, sir.” Noah told his son to go take a seat before walking off to respond to the call out of earshot.

Stiles sat on the steps beside Ray, far too close because he didn’t have a sense of personal space. His knee was jittering, but the feeling of his jeans rubbing against her leg helped her feel warmer.

“Why did I wear this?” The words were meant for just herself, but Stiles was able to understand the mumbles.

“Why _did_ you wear that?” Stiles asked genuinely.

Ray tucked some curls that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. She huffed in annoyance. “I don’t know, Stiles. Because I’m stupid?”

The boy just re-asked the question she literally asked herself. It probably wasn’t good to blow up on him like that. After all, they had just gone through the same traumatic thing. He also wasn’t the one who made her put on a skirt, she did that to herself.

The first time she thought Stiles was asking her on a date should have been a lesson, but Ray didn’t learn. He hadn’t meant it as a date at all, and he left her and Scotty in the woods where she had to see the top half of Laura Hales’s rotting corpse. Now this time she wrongfully assumed he had been asking her out, she had to witness a murder! Maybe two if Derek was dead.

And if he wasn’t dead, well. . he might as well be because they just told the cops he was a serial killer.

“Sorry,” Ray mumbled, “S’not your fault. Shoulda known better. .”

“Well you didn’t know we were coming he-,” Stiles cut himself off. His eyes went wide. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he continued on in a tone that made it seem like he was piecing together the biggest mystery of all, “You didn’t know. You thought we were just gonna study.”

Ray rested her chin in her hand. Why didn’t she even think Stiles was asking her out that night they went to the reserve? Tonight’s misassumption could be explained away with letting Lydia and Allison get in her head, but that night Scott was bit. . That was such a far reach.

Had _she_ just wanted it to be a date?

Stiles rubbed his hands over his head while he said, “God, I must be the worst lab partner ever, huh?”

“If you’re waiting for me to disagree with you, don’t hold your breath.”

“You still have some, um-,” the boy pointed at her cheek, “-blood.”

“O-oh.” Ray rubbed the sleeve of her flannel over her cheek then asked, “Is it gone?”

Stiles licked his thumb. Panic set in and Ray dipped away from him. He laughed and said, “It’s all dried up, just let me get it!” She stopped squirming and finally just let him swipe his thumb across her cheek. He did it a few times then paused. His hand ever so lightly cradled her face.

“Did you get it?” Ray asked. She worried with all the blood rushing to her cheeks that the cut would start bleeding again.

Stiles pursed his lips to hold in a laugh. “I might have just made it worse.”

“Stiles! Ugh.”

Ray swatted his hand away so she could rub her cheek with her sleeve again. Scott was stumbling over to them. For some reason, Ray found herself scooting a couple inches away from Stiles.

It was hard for Scott to get the words out, “She-she broke up with me.”

Tears threatened to fall down his cheeks. Ray stood to hug her friend. This wasn’t completely out of nowhere. The general consensus wasn’t great after he left them in the chemistry classroom.

“It’s been a long night. Once she calms down a bit, she might change her mind,” Ray said as she rubbed Scott’s back.

She hoped it was true, but there was a part of her that wondered if this was for the best. Her best friend was in over his head trying to deal with the alpha and hiding his abilities from his girlfriend’s family of hunters. Scott would be heartbroken without Allison, sure, but hiding from her family was going to be a hell of a lot easier if he wasn’t on their radar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were a few key moments and fun scenes to write in regards to Ray’s thought process in this chapter, however. .   
> I don’t know what it is about the Night School episode that I hate so much. I don’t like rewatching it, I don’t like reading it in other people’s fan fictions, and I definitely had to discipline myself to sit down and finish this.  
> Do you guys like this episode? Why or why not? Also, how can I improve my writing to make episodes like this more fun to read?
> 
> I’m going to look at a house today with my mom! We are buying it together because you know. . The US capitalistic system does not work for single people. RIP to us lol.


	8. Sweet Sixteen

They had the next few days off school so that the police could search through the crime scene. Stiles was sending Ray text updates on what the police found. They were appreciated and also ignored. She couldn’t bring herself to messaging him back because if she responded to those then she would have to respond to the ones where he asked if she still wanted to study. Their chemistry test was moved to Monday when they would return to school, so they still had time to do so.

Seeing Stiles in person to study did not seem like a good idea after what happened in the boiler room. For a brief moment she had wanted to kiss him. Sure, it might have just been a heat of the moment thing due to him trapping the alpha, but not only did she think it, she had said it out loud!

Ray kept to herself all of Thursday and Friday. Her mom was a little worried that she only left her room to get food, but she just assumed her daughter needed space to deal with being trapped in the school with a murderer. How do you talk to your child after they’ve been through something like that? Other than making sure Ray was fed, Sonia didn’t know what to do to get her daughter out of her room.

Danny, on the other hand, knew exactly how to lift his step sister’s spirits. Late Saturday morning his dad was outside mowing the lawn, and his step mom was picking Jayden up from a sleepover with his friend Mason. Danny burst into his sister’s room and dropped the card on her lap.

Raymona pushed away the bag of hot cheetos she was devouring and picked up the card. It was a California driver’s license with her face on it.

“Holy shit, Danny! You did it!”

“Made myself one too,” Danny said proudly as he showed her his own fake.

“And your boyfriend?”

“Nick already has one.”

Ray snorted. “Of course he does. .”

“So, are we still going tonight?” Danny asked.

It was the night of Eddie’s gig. Ray had to tell Danny about it Thursday to explain why she needed a fake ID. Danny insisted he and Nick go with her to watch out for her. It was her first time going to a bar, and this one Eddie’s band was playing at wasn’t known to be welcoming.

Ray wasn’t too sure about sneaking out. On one hand, she wanted to do something that didn’t involve the supernatural. On the other. . she wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave her room yet.

“What if my mom comes to check on me and I’m not here?”

“Let’s tell her we are going out for ice cream or some shit.” Danny sat on the edge of her bed and said, “Come on, Ray. You deserve some fun!”

Ray rolled her hot cheeto bag closed and said, “You’re right! I do.”

Surprisingly they were let into the bar. Between all the yelling and the thick smell of nicotine, Ray didn’t know if getting in was a good or bad thing. She was able to talk with Eddie briefly before the show, if you count waving to him as he set up the stage talking.

The music was. . interesting. Their lead singer must have been going through a breakup because every song started out with them saying it was dedicated to their ex then following it up with a fit of screams that were barely drowned out by an electric guitar. Their drummer couldn’t keep a beat to save his life. Ray imagined how much better it would be if Stiles was on stage playing instead. Stiles wasn’t terrible at drums. He kept a set in the garage and would sometimes play with Scott for fun.

Eddie on guitar was pretty great though. Ray didn’t think Scotty could top that. Maybe if he had time to practice. .

Halfway through the set, Ray turned around to Danny and yelled over the music, “Can we leave?”

Danny put his hands together like he was praying. “Yes, thank god.”

For once it was not a nightmare to wake her up an hour before her alarm Monday morning. Although, it wasn’t excitement for her birthday either. Raymona had been dreaming about being in the desert and debating whether or not to break open a cactus for water. The dream caused her to wake up and realize how dry her throat was.

It must have been because she slept with the window open, she thought as she downed the half glass of water on her nightstand. That little bit of water didn’t seem to be enough. As Ray stood to walk to the kitchen, she realized how dry her skin felt. She put on some of the lotion from the drawer of her nightstand. It seemed to just sit on top of her skin.

Her mother was already awake and making a pot of coffee in the kitchen. She smiled as her daughter stumbled half asleep toward the sink.

“You’re up early, sunshine! Excited for your big day?”

Ray chugged the glass then filled it again. “Can’t wait.”

“Raymona, I’ve been thinking. . You had a hard couple of weeks so. . If you wanted to skip on today that’s totally fine by me!” Sonia poured herself a cup of coffee then leaned against the fridge. “We could practice driving around town again if you want. You’ve almost perfected that parallel park.”

“I have a really big test in Chemistry that I can’t miss.”

“What if I just called your teacher and-“

“It’s okay, Mom. I want to see my friends at school and just-just go back to being normal.” Oh, what she would do for things to go back to normal. Real normal, without werewolves and alphas and hunters.

Sonia sighed, “Of course. Yes. That’s alright. Whatever you think you need to do. . . I’m about to start making pancakes! You want me to cut up strawberries too?”

Ray’s glass was being filled for the third time. “Sure, Mom. That sounds great. Thank you.”

As her daughter went back up to her room, Sonia called up to her, “And happy birthday!”

“Thanks,” Ray said before locking herself in the bathroom to take a shower.

While in the shower, Ray stood under the stream and drank the water. She didn’t know why she had done it, the act seemed actually kind of odd to her. Her body must finally be trying to rehydrate from all the running around school she did.

The mirror was fogged up when she got out. Two dots glowing a vibrant blue-green caught her eye. The hairs on her arm stood up. She wiped the mirror to see the objects more clearly, but her normal eyes were just looking back at her.

It must have been a glare.

Her morning went on normal after that. Sonia’s pancakes with the strawberries on top tasted heavenly. Ray had packed a 20 ounce water bottle that she really didn’t want to carry on her back while biking. Thankfully, Danny gave her a ride to school. They just had to pick up his boyfriend Nick along the way. He wished her a happy birthday and let her stay in the front seat. Ray could almost taste the happiness his smile brought to Danny.

It was almost odd how that happy feeling seemed to fill up the whole car. Ray figured she was really excited for her birthday.

Her locker had been encased in wrapping paper and a balloon almost escaped to the ceiling when she opened it. Lydia and Allison came running up behind her with huge smiles. A wave of their excitement mixed with some nervousness crashed into her as they said,

“Happy birthday!”

“You guys did this? Thank you so much!” Ray hugged each of them.

Lydia twirled her hair. “So what? Are you throwing a party you forgot to invite us to or. .”

“I’m just have a dinner with my family. I‘ll probably celebrate after my driving test next week. . If I pass.”

“You’ll pass,” Allison told her.

“Oh you two are no fun!” Lydia told them. “Well my birthday party will be big enough for the three of us.”

“It always is.” Ray laughed and tried to close her locker without the balloon floating out.

Lydia ditched them as she caught sight of Jackson walking down the hall. As soon as she was gone, an awkward tension grew between the two other girls. Ray cleared her throat and turned her gaze down to her shoes. She had since cleaned the ones Danny got her for Christmas, and this was her first time wearing them since the night Scott was bit. They were so pristine, it was almost like that night never happened.

She wondered for a moment how things would be different if they hadn’t gone to the preserve that night, or if they had just gone with Stiles when he got caught by his dad. Would the Alpha still be killing people? Would her boss still be alive? Would she still be working at the DVD store with Eddie?

Allison adjusted her backpack then finally broke the silence, “Look, I just wanted to make sure things weren’t going to be weird between us since. . since. .”

“Since you broke up with Scott?” Ray finished for her. “Don’t worry about it. I get it.”

Ray felt really bad for Scott missing out on such a beautiful girl. Allison had been so patient with all of Scott’s weirdness up until this point. It was surprising he had even gotten as far as he didn’t since he rarely pursued girls. In the past, Scott told Ray about a few fleeting crushes, but he had never acted on them.

Allison stopped walking in the hall. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. There was something more she needed to say.

“I’m kind of not over him yet, so I was wondering if maybe we could not. . God, this is going to sound so rude.” Allison blushed and dipped her head in shame. There was an odd rush of regretfulness that seemed to spill out of the girl. Ray assumed it was the look on Allison’s face that gave her that information.

Ray nodded her head because she understood what Allison was trying to say. “You don’t want to hear about him all the time. Yeah, I don’t mind keeping my friend groups separate, I mean, Gabby is my only friend that dares to tolerate Eddie. You won’t hear a peep about Scott from me, and vice versa, no matter how much he gives me those puppy dog eyes.”

Allison smiled and took in a big breath of relief. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“Well, I should be thanking you and Lydia for being such good friends. No one has ever decorated my locker for me before. I feel like a celebrity or something.”

When Ray was filling up her water bottle between third and fourth period, Stiles slid up next to her. He leaned an arm against the wall, looking anything but casual and radiating a heavy dose of anxiety.

“Excited for the big test after lunch, Stilinski?” She guessed that was the reason for his nerves as she twisted her water bottle shut.

“Not really since my lab partner hates me and made me study alone all weekend.”

Ray rolled her eyes. “I was busy, and my mom is a little wary of us studying since you know, that’s what we were _supposed_ to be doing when you brought me to the school to get murdered by a psychotic alpha werewolf.”

“Right, well, sorry about that. You missed out on Scott and I driving to some professor’s house to find a cure, though.”

“A cure? Like for the bite?” Ray whispered so that other students wouldn’t hear. “Did you find one?”

“No, actually. . He didn’t know of one.”

Ray rolled her eyes, “Then I didn’t miss out on anything.”

The nervousness seeking out of the boy was starting to make her stomach churn. She put a hand on his shoulder, “Jesus, Stilinski. You doing okay?”

“W-what? Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” He sounded normal, but still, something wasn’t right. Maybe it was her own nerves about the test getting to her.

Ray dropped her hand and shrugged. “Dunno. I think I’m having an off morning.”

“Well, I’ve got something to make it better.”

“Oh? Another problem for Mystery Inc. to solve? Pft. No thanks, buddy.” Ray started walking to her French class. She was not going to go looking for trouble on today of all days.

“No!” Stiles jogged to catch up with her. “I thought we would skip fourth and go to Shakey’s for lunch. My treat since it’s your birthday and I totally owe you for you know. . the murdering werewolf stuff.”

“We have a chemistry test right after lunch. If we’re a second late Harris would probably tattoo a fat F on your forehead.”

Stiles was waking backwards in front of her now to make his point. “Which is why we’re skipping fourth. We’ll probably be back halfway through lunch. You’d have time to have a second lunch!”

“If Scotty gets caught skipping _again_ -“ Ray grabbed onto the front of Stiles’s shirt to stop him from running into someone behind him. “-he’ll probably be suspended.”

Ray quickly dropped her hand from his shirt as he suggested, “Well I was thinking it would be just us.”

“Just. . us?”

“But we’d have to go like right now before the second bell rings and we get caught.”

The girl was a little unsure about being alone with Stiles because of what she said in the boiler room. For a moment she examined the boy in front of her and thought about it. She didn’t feeling like kissing the boy in this moment, so maybe the boiler room really was just a _we almost died and I’m thankful we didn’t_ sort of thing.

She supposed she would have to get over her fear of being alone with Stiles at some point. Besides. . Shakey’s was her favorite burger joint, and she hated French class.

“Alright. I’m sold.”

The few adults at Shakey’s were giving the two teens odd looks, but no one dared to ask them why they weren’t in school. Ray hoped they looked old enough to be college students so that no one would turn them in.

Stiles was collecting the food from the window while Ray sat alone at the concrete table. Her skin had started to feel dry again. She reached out to grab her water and noticed something green on her hand. It glimmered in the sunlight. Ray studied her hand and ran her fingers across the smooth surface of the green patch. It seemed almost like. . A scale?

Stiles’s voice made her jump slightly and hold her hand closer to her chest. “Did you want to eat here or back at school?”

“Fourth isn’t over yet so we might as well eat here.” While Stiles was busy setting the food down and sitting at the table, Ray looked back down at her hand. The scale was gone.

She really needed to get more sleep.

“It smells amazing,” she commented as she stole a curly fry from Stiles’s pile. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome. You only turn 16 once.”

“Unless you’re a vampire,” she said with a wink.

“Oh my god.” The color drained from Stiles’s face. “Do you think those exist?”

“I pray we never find out.”

“Cheers to that.” They clinked their milkshakes together.

Ray felt like such a rebel carrying her left over Shakey’s milkshake through the school. She was all proud until she saw a sheriff’s deputy by the main office. At the sight of Stiles’s dad, both her and the Stilinski boy scrambled to hide around a corner. Stiles quickly grabbed her milkshake and threw both hers and his away.

“Hey!” Ray crosses her arms and flared her nose.

“I’ll buy you a million others just- Look, if my dad sees them he’ll put it together that we skipped class, and I would like to not be grounded.”

Both teens peek around the corner and watch as the sheriff and his deputies walk into the office with very important looking men in suits. Ray checked the time on her phone. Fifteen minutes until their chem exam starts. She was feeling a bit nervous about it and wanted to glance over her flash cards a bit before class.

“You’re going to go try and listen in, aren’t you?” Ray assumed.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something then seemed to think better of it. His face scrunched up like he was already guilty.

“Yeah, totally,” he admitted. “You comin’?”

“I kind of wanted to find Scotty and get in a last minute refresher before the test, don’t you?”

“Nah, I could probably ace that thing in my sleep,” Stiles gloated. He started walking backwards toward the office and shot his finger guns at her. “Save me a seat in class?”

“I’ll save you the farthest seat from me,” she promised.

Scott was the textbook definition of anxiety. He was sweaty, tapping his pencil on his knee, and his focus was on everything but the flash cards Ray was reading out to him. Eventually she gave up on trying to quiz him and asked what was wrong.

“You mean other than the usual?” Scott returned. “Guess I just- I hate that I can’t do anything about Allison not trusting me.”

“She’ll come around,” Ray told him.

“I hope so. . Hey, where were you and Stiles at lunch?”

Ray didn’t know why, but she felt her cheeks warm up. “We just went to Shakey’s for my birthday. We would have invited you, but you’re already in so much trouble with the school. . Sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize! That’s just. .odd. .”

“I mean, he just meant it like a friend thing and he felt like he owed me after what happened Wednesday and-“

“No, not that you were hanging out. Just- Stiles and I already got you a different gift. He even picked it out. I totally forgot it at home though,” Scott scratched the back of his head. “My bad. I’ve been having an off day.”

“You and me both, and thank you. You guys didn’t have to do that.”

Ray wondered what Stiles had picked out for her. Scott knew her pretty well, so she trusted he wouldn’t have let Stiles pick out anything completely awful or terrifying. But then again. . Stiles was Stiles.

Once Mr. Harris unlocked the classroom, Ray and Scott found seats next to each other. Ray put her backpack on the seat behind Scott’s so that Stiles would have a place to sit once he was done eavesdropping on his dad. The boy in question came in looking like he had a bunch of new information to tell them.

He handed Ray her backpack and thanked her for the spot. That was all he could get out before Harris made them start their quiz.

The first two pages were like a breeze. If that last minute studying didn’t do anything for Scott, at least it helped Ray out. They were only fifteen minutes into the period and she was nearing the end of the test. There was a proud smirk on her face as she started the last page.

She bet she would score way higher than Stilinski.

Suddenly Scott stood up and ran out of the room. Ray looked over her shoulder at Stiles who just shrugged. She tried to remain calm and turned back to her test to answer another question.

“Mr. McCall!” Mr. Harris yelled after him.

Stiles stood up next, abandoning his test and belongings as well. The only thing he grabbed was Scott’s backpack on his way out.

“Mr. Stilinski!” The teacher’s harsh gaze turned to her. “Don’t even think about it, Nerine.”

“You think so lowly of me, Mr. Harris.”

Ray finished up her last three problems then stood up and brought her test to the teacher. He flipped through it, seeing she answered everything, even the bonus question.

“Fine, you may go.”

Ray scrambled to collect all her things. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on her when she picked up Stiles’s backpack and math book. She tucked his pen behind her ear then reached for her water bottle. It felt like the squeaking of her foot steps out of the classroom were just drawing more attention her way. It wasn’t until she was in the empty hallway that she was able to breathe.

She adjusted the strap of Stiles’s backpack as she looked down the hall. There was no sign of which direction her two friends had run off to. Although, she did recall Scott saying he had sat in the shower during the first full moon. Maybe he was in the locker room trying that method again. She headed that way then came to a stop in front of the door.

Didn’t Stiles say once that Scott tried to kill him in the locker room after practice? Maybe it would be best if she just waited out in the hall. .But what if Scott was wolfed out in there right now attacking Stiles?

Ray burst open the locker room door. Scott was standing at his locker, pulling off his wet jeans. Ray screamed and closed her eyes.

“What the hell are you doing in here!?” Scott yelled. He pulled a pair of gym shorts out of his locker to cover his boxers.

His friend had already turned to face the door. Her cheek were warm and she felt like she might throw up. “Making sure you aren’t killing Stiles!”

“Well I’m not!” Scott fired back. “And I’m decent now.”

Stiles laughed and said, “What? You guys have seen each other in less at the pool.”

“That’s ..different,” Ray said. Her cheeks were still flushed.

“Oh? Is it? Because when you were changing in my car the night of Lydia’s party you said-“

“I wasn’t wet!”

“You changed in his car?” Scott asked.

“It’s not like it sounds,” Ray said at the same times Stiles winked and said, “Yeah, she did.”

“Just- just take your heavy ass backpack, Stilinski.” Ray handed him his book and the bag.

He took a step closer to her. Her lungs seemed to lock up as his hand reached up to her face. “I believe this is also mine.” He took the pen from behind her ear and put it behind his own.

Scott shutting his locker is what made Ray stop staring at Stiles in astonishment. She looked down at her feet then said, “Right uh, you good now, Scotty?”

“Yeah, it was just a panic attack.”

“Because of Allison?” Scott nodded. “She won’t stay mad at you forever.”

“I hope not.”

Ray suddenly became hyper aware of how close Stiles continued to be. A chill ran down her spine when she got the courage to glance over at him.

She cleared her throat and said, “I gotta. . um. .” She hurried out of the boys locker room and walked until she came across a drinking fountain to refill her water bottle with.

She ran into Gabby after their last class that day. She surprised Ray with a card and a pair of earrings that were like the rose ones she got for Christmas, but this pair was daisies, just like Ray had wanted. They snapped a cute picture together then Gabby had to leave. Her mother was still mad about the party, and she didn’t like to be kept waiting.

Ray felt like she was on cloud nine from all the birthday love. She practically glided down the hallway that led to the field. Lydia stopped her in the hall to inform her that Scott was now Jackson’s cocaptain for the lacrosse team. For a brief moment, Ray could almost taste the lust oozing out of her friend. She swore she could even hear Lydia say, “ _He’s actually kind of hot_.” But the redhead’s lips weren’t moving at the time. Another girl walked up to talk with Lydia about the rally ASB planned to put on for the quarterfinals game.

Ray turned away from the two girls to leave, only to catch sight of her best friend. Stiles was calling out how much he loved him as Scott walked toward Ray.

“Hey Ray,” Scott sounded like he was being forced to talk with her. Maybe he was nervous about his new title.

“Scotty! Lydia was just saying you’re cocaptain! Congrats, dude!” Ray shook his shoulder pads.

“Did you hear Stiles made first line, too?”

Ray’s eyes trailed over the boy wearing a number 24 practice jersey. He caught her gaze and gave her a dorky grin before heading out the doors to the field.

“Really? That’s-,“ she paused to pull her water bottle up and take a drink, discovering it was empty. “-good for him.”

“Can I ask you a question about Allison?”

Scott looked like a wounded puppy. Raymona felt really bad telling him, “I don’t know much about what she’s been feeling if that’s what you’re wondering. We kind of agreed for the sake of our friendship that we wouldn’t talk about you. . You’ll have to ask Lydia. She would definitely know.”

“Alright. I’ll have to try that. . . Sorry we can’t hang out tonight. It sucks your 16th birthday fell on a full moon.”

“Don’t even worry about it. I’m just having an awkward dinner with my family tonight after Danny’s practice. We can do something fun this weekend!”

“Sounds like a plan.” Scott watched as the girl Lydia was talking to walked away. “Well, that’s my chance. Happy birthday!”

“Thank you! Good luck!”

The papers of her notebook kept threatening to fly up in the wind. Ray had one more math problem to complete before she was finished with her homework for the night. Once Danny was done with his practice, she wanted to just drive straight home and not have to worry about anything else for the rest of the night.

There was a loud crash of shoulder pads on the field. The sound didn’t even faze Ray. She continued on with the homework until she heard someone yell out.

“Danny!”

Ray tossed her notebook on the bleachers beside her then jogged onto the field. She came to a halt next to Jackson and Lydia. Players and the coach had already surrounded her step brother and blocked her view.

“Is he okay?”

“Just a bloody nose, I think. He should be fine,” Jackson told her.

Jackson looked up at his girlfriend then frowned. Ray turned to see the redhead for herself. Her lipgloss was smudged like she had just been making out. Jackson’s tongue poked the inside of his cheek before he said, “Your lipstick. .” He pointed at her lips.

“What?” Lydia pulled out a compact mirror. “Oh, huh. Wonder how that happened.”

“Yeah, I wonder,” Jackson grumbled.

Ray’s eyes widened. The last person she had seen talking with Lydia was Scott. Scott wouldn’t have kissed Lydia, right? That’s. . That’s crazy.

Well, he also wouldn’t normally have shoulder checked Danny hard enough to give him a bloody nose. Maybe the full moon was already starting to affect him.

Coach let Danny out of practice early for the injury. Ray helped him to his car by carrying his backpack, gym back and an armful of textbooks. She felt like she had just done a full body workout by the time she was able to throw all his crap in the backseat. Danny’s nosebleed had stopped, but he was still irritated.

“Why the hell did McCall do that?” Danny wondered.

His step sister stopped chugging her water bottle to respond, “He’s an idiot, but he’s also having a rough day.”

“Yeah well our day is about to get a whole lot worse,” Danny told her. “It was meant to be a surprise, but I feel like I should warn you.”

Ray felt like she knew what was coming. The reason she hated holidays.

Danny sighed as he started his car. He mumbled, “Your grandparents are coming over for dinner.”

Now, Ray loved her grandparents just like any other kid, really. She was even named after her abuelo, not just after him, but in honor of him. Both him and her abuela were always so kind and loving. . until Ray’s mom came in the room. Her mother was always praising everything her parents did, but once she was in the same room with them, shit hit the fan. Literally. On Jayden’s ninth birthday, her abuela threw a whole flan in the air. It hit the fan and broke apart, spraying all over the room.

The room smelled great, but it was a bitch to clean up.

What were the fights about? Anything. Everything. It ranged from what shoes Sonia was wearing to the fact that she didn’t speak Spanish enough with her kids. Jayden barely understood any Spanish at all which made it hard for her abuelo to really communicate with him, as he spoke little English.

And then Sonia went and made that rule two years ago, only speak English around Marcus and Danny. She said it was rude to speak Spanish around them. Ray didn’t see her grandparents for six months after that.

Now here they were all sitting at the dinning table eating a takeout pizza from Ray’s favorite place.

“You didn’t cook for your daughter on her birthday?” Her abuela shook her head. “Sonia, did I not teach you?”

Ray tried to sound as cheery as possible, “This pizza is my favorite, Abuela. I asked for it.” The table went dead silent after that. Ray reached for her empty glass and said, “I’m going to get more water. Does anyone need anything?”

When Ray returned with her cup of water, the whole table was either trying not to look at her or glaring at her like she just killed a puppy in the kitchen. She put her glass down on the table then instinctively reached for her necklace to feel calm.

Her abuelo suddenly slammed his fist down on the table. “Ella es como él, ¿verdad?”

“Like who?” Ray asked her mother. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly talking in Spanish. Was there something he didn’t want Danny and Marcus to know? What did she miss while in the kitchen?

Sonia wasn’t meeting anyone’s eyes. She kept her head down with her elbows on the table like she was praying, scrunching up a napkin in her hand. The water in Ray’s cup started to bubble up as if it was boiling. It went unnoticed to her, but her younger brother’s eyes went wide.

“Mom!” Ray put her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “What does he mean?”

“Go to your room, Raymona,” her mother said lowly.

“¿Le has dicho algo a ella?” Her abuela asked harshly.

“Told me what? Mom-“

“Go to your room, Raymona!” Her mother screamed. “Just-just go!”

The water in the cup boiled over onto the table cloth. Steam rose from the table. Ray roughly stood up from her chair then ran up the stairs. Everyone at the table jumped slightly as they heard her bathroom door slam shut.

Sonia threw her napkin onto her plate. She glared at her parents. “Ella no es como él.No hay nada de que preocuparse.”

In the bathroom upstairs, Ray was gripping the edge of the sink. The thunder booming outside confused her. There wasn’t supposed to be a storm tonight, but everything else was going wrong so why not have the weather join in? The girl was trying to calm her breathing as she leaned over the sink. When she looked up into the mirror, her eyes were glowing a greenish blue, reminding her of Scott’s yellow eyes when he was turning.

Ray looked down at her hands expecting to see claws, but her fingertips were normal. It was the skin up her hands and wrists that were different.

Little green scales littered her skin. They looked like the scale she swore she saw on her hand at lunch. The sight of them multiplying and growing up her arm nearly made her faint. A soft knock on the bathroom door caused her to find her footing and get a grip on reality. No one could see her like this.

“I just want to be alone,” she told whoever was on the other side of that door.

“It’s me,” her younger brother Jayden sounded muffled through the door. “Let me in.”

“I’m-I’m not having an anxiety attack. I’m fine. Just go back to-“

“I know!” Jayden yelled. “Dad told me what you are. He said to look out for you. Just let me in.”

Her father? What did he know about all of this? Ray hesitantly unlocked the bathroom door. Her younger brother rushed in the locked it behind himself.

“Whoa-,” the boy said in amazement. “Dad wasn’t lying.”

“What do you mean?” Ray insisted.

Jayden’s mouth dropped open in shock. “He didn’t ever tell you his stories? The ones about Grandma?”

“Dad’s mom? All he ever said was she used to trick sailors from the army into sleeping with her so that she could steal from them. What does that have to do with-,” Ray held up her scale covered hand, “-this?!”

“Dad said we come from a family of water people.”

Ray crossed her arms. “Jayden, are you fucking with me right now? On my birthday? Come on-You know what? Just get out.”

“No!” Jayden yelled as Ray tried to push him out of the bathroom. “He called us Sea Nymphs!”

“The hell is that?”

“Like-like a mermaid!”

Never before had Jayden ever come up with such an elaborate story. Mermaids. That’s insane. Something you hear about in fairytales.

Ray looked at the scales across her palms and contemplated. There had to be another explanation. Maybe she was dreaming. . Maybe she was in a coma! Maybe the alpha attacked her that night at the school and this whole time she was just dreaming about it being her birthday.

The excitement dropped from Jayden’s face. “You don’t believe me.”

“Of course not!” Ray said harshly.

Jayden turned on the shower. He forcefully tugged his older sister’s hand. She didn’t realize how light headed she still was until she nearly fell face first into the bathtub. Jayden held her hand under the water. Suddenly the room became a little clearer.

Ray straightened up and looked at her hand under the stream. The scales started to slowly dissolve into her skin.

“W-what-?” She stepped underneath the shower, not even caring she was still fully clothed. She was amazed at how good the water felt. Her skin didn’t itch like it was dry anymore.

Jayden stared in shock as his older sister’s eyes glowed a bright blueish green. “Maybe we should call Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we are getting into Ray and her powers. It will be a while before she knows much about herself. . But I’m excited that Jayden makes a mini appearance! He is in the same grade as Mason and Liam, so he will be playing a major role in the future.
> 
> I’m so happy to finally start using some of the research and things I’ve come up with for mermaids/sea nymphs. I’ve written some scenes having to do with the progression of Ray’s abilities all the way up to season 3B so far!
> 
> My favorite moment this chapter was Stiles throwing away the milkshakes to hide the fact that he skipped class from his dad as if the teachers didn’t already inform the office he and Ray weren’t in their fourth periods. That boy is such a mess. .


	9. miel

The sixteen year old woke up the next morning with a cramp in her neck. At first, she didn’t dare to move because of the pain. Why did her pillow feel like a pile of bricks? Her groan seemed to echo in her bedroom. She squinted her eyes as they opened, the room was much brighter than what she was used to. The white tile walls surrounding her were definitely not her bedroom. Ray sat up quickly, her hand reaching up to rub her neck. The water in the bathtub splashed loudly around her, landing in the floor like a wave. Why was still wearing her clothes from the day before?

The memories of the night before flashed back to her. Jayden had tried calling their dad while she stood under the stream of the shower head. Their dad’s phone was either off or out of service. That was typical. They usually could only get ahold of him a few days before they were meant to meet up with him in Santa Cruz. He wasn’t much of a father figure in the off season.

She didn’t remember when she decided to just sit in the tub. Maybe she had felt bad about wasting so much water. Now she regretted doing so. Her clothes were heavy as she stood up, and all the muscles in her body ached from sitting in the tub the whole night.

Part of her assumed the night before was a dream. Her mother had already left for work when Ray went downstairs that morning. Her step dad and Danny were both pretending that the fight her grandparents caused never happened, probably because the argument had been in a language they didn’t speak. Jayden was still fast asleep in his bed. She would have felt bad waking him up since he probably stayed up late trying to contact their dad.

Raymona went to school as usual, thinking it had all just been a crazy dream. Falling asleep in the bathtub probably is what caused the dream.

Scott presented her with the gift he and Stiles got her during their bike ride to school. It was a leather-bound sketch book with vines and white flowers embroidered on the cover. Ray almost cried as she laid eyes on it. She didn’t even want to sketch in it in fear of filling it one day and not being able to use it.

After school that day she asked her mom if they could practice driving. Her mother told her no, not caring that her driving test was less than a week away. Her step dad Marcus was outside raking when Ray stormed out of the front door.

“Your mom not gonna take you driving?” He guessed.

Ray planted herself on the front steps with a huff. It was supposed to rain later that week, so she hoped to get some driving practice in while the sun was out.

“She says she’s too busy.”

Marcus wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. He looked up at the house then down at Ray like he was contemplating something.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to take you then,” he said as he leaned his rake against the tree between their house and the McCall’s.

Ray’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Really?”

“Of course! I taught Danny, so I could teach you too.”

The girl shot up from the steps. “Let me go grab my permit!”

Her nerves were bubbling under her skin like the bottle of cola her, Stiles and Scott shook up one summer just to see what would happen. When the bottle started to feel really tight, they started playing hot potato with it. It exploded all over Scott’s back yard and Stiles’s swim suit. Her and Scott sprayed him down with water guns so that he wouldn’t get soda in the blow up pool.

In other words, she was beyond nervous to be driving stick. Her mother had just been teaching her in the minivan which was automatic. In Marcus’s huge old Ford truck, Ray felt like she was at the top of the world, but she also worried having this much power and control. What if she wasn’t able to stop it in time and hit someone in a tiny Prius?

“Foot on the clutch, that’s it, now ease your foot of the brake slowly. . Not that slow,” Marcus was guiding her.

The truck stalled for the fourth time in a row. Ray let out a frustrated scream. If Stiles was able to do this daily without even thinking, then she should be able to do this no sweat! Why wasn’t she getting it?

“You were doing good, Raymona! Let’s start it up again, and this time ease off the brake a little quicker, just a little.” Marcus had a much calmer presence than her mother did while teaching her. It encouraged her to keep trying despite thinking it was all pointless. Why would she need to learn stick if Stiles knew how to drive it? Still, Marcus told her he knew she could do it, so she kept going, wanting to prove him correct.

After about an hour of practice, Ray was able to drive them the whole way home without stalling the truck at a stop sign! Marcus seemed oddly happy to get out of the truck once she parked it. It was parked so close to her mom’s minivan that Ray wasn’t even able to walk between the two. Still, Ray was happy to have improved. Surely now driving an automatic for the test would be easy.

As she was thanking Marcus for the lesson, their neighbor Scott McCall was heading across his lawn to talk with them. Marcus squinted at the boy since the sun was setting so brightly behind him.

“Oh, hello Scott. How’s lacrosse going? I heard you’re cocaptain now!”

“Good! I’m stoked for quarterfinals tomorrow,” Scott said. He looked to Ray, “Hey, Ray. Wanna play Xbox at Stiles’s tonight?”

Ray really wished playing xbox meant playing xbox, but she knew it must have been code for something werewolf related. They rarely had time to play xbox these days. Though, even if they did, she still wouldn’t be able to play. Her Xbox remote was still missing.

Ray asked Marcus, “Do you think mom would be okay with me hanging out with friends tonight?”

Marcus winked at the teens and said, “I’ll tell her I said it was okay. Be home by 11.”

Scott and Ray didn’t have to wait long after that for Stiles’s jeep to come barreling down their street. His brakes had definitely had better days, but Ray had a newfound respect for his ability to stop his jeep then keep going without stalling it.

“Can’t believe you’re got Ray to agree to this,” Stiles said as he pulled away from their houses.

Ray made sure her seatbelt was on tight. “I figured it wasn’t xbox, but do I even want to know?”

They ended up using Derek Hale’s fancy black car as a way to deter the hunters from his actual location. He was at the high school trying to get information from Mr. Harris, yes, their chemistry teacher, while Scott was speeding his car down the winding highway with Kate Argent following close behind.

Ray held onto the back of the driver’s seat for dear life as Scott sped up. There was nothing to count to calm her down, so her anxiety was starting to get so bad she thought she might throw up.

Or that could have just been car sickness from Scott’s swerving.

Kate must have been a really good driver to be able to keep up with Scott’s random turns through town. Her little green car was gaining on them. Ray was afraid Kate might pull right up next to them and shoot in their windows. Why did it feel like once a week their lives were in mortal danger?

Ray screamed as her seatbelt locked during a harsh right turn. She yelled out, “Oh my god, we’re gonna die! Are you guys trying to kill me?!”

“She’s gaining on us!” Stiles yelled.

“Faster?” Scott asked.

“Much faster,” Stiles told him.

Scott pressed his foot harder on the gas. They must have been pushing a hundred as they flew down the highway. Kate was still gaining in them. It was amazing that Derek had such a cool car, but it was able to be out raced by a Kia.

“Scott, I don't think you're grasping the concept of the car chase here,” Stiles told him.

“If I go faster, I'll kill us!”

“Well, if you don't go faster, they're gonna kill us!”

“If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to kill you both!” Ray yelled. “I’ll cut you two up into little pieces and-“

“Feed us to your cat,” both boys dully said in unison.

Stiles faced her from the passenger seat. “Can’t you just enjoy the moment back there? How many people can say they’ve been in a car chase, hm?”

“Enjoy the moment? Stiles! We could die if Scott hits a pothole at this speed! And this back seat is way to tiny to enjoy anything!”

The boy glared at her, his mouth opened to fire back, but then he saw something in the rear window that made him squint in confusion.

“They’re gone,” he told Scott as he sat forward in his seat. He checked the police walkie to see what was going on. His dad’s voice was relaying a clear message.

“All units, suspect is on foot heading into the Iron Works.”

As they pulled up to the Iron Works, Stiles flung open the passenger door for Derek to dive in. He quickly scrambled into the backseat, landing on top of Ray who was too distracted by the gun shots to see him coming and move out of the way. Before she could even shove Stiles off, Scott was speeding out of the Iron Works.

“You’re squishing my spleen,” Ray grumbled.

“That’s oddly specific,” Stiles fired back, still not taking the hint to move his elbow.

“Get the hell off of me, Stilinski!” Ray shoved him. “And put on your seatbelt.”

Stiles opted for sitting in the middle seat. Ray didn’t understand why the hell this car even had that option in it’s tiny ass backseat! He was practically on top of her and totally disregarding her personal space. It was like she wasn’t even there as he leaned forward to talk with Derek and Scott. Still he wasn’t putting his seatbelt on. Ray knew they must have been driving fast because the car was practically shaking.

“What part of laying low don't you understand?” Scott asked Derek. Her best friend sounded stressed. She wished she could see his face to tell what was going on, but Stiles blocked her view of the front seat.

“Stiles, put on your seatbelt,” Ray said again, firmer this time. She was still ignored.

“Damn it, I had him!” Derek exclaimed.

“Who, the Alpha?” Stiles’s asked.

“Yes! He was right in front of me, and the freaking police showed up.”

“Whoa, hey, they're just doing their jobs. .,” Stiles said, trying to defend his dad.

Derek put his hand over Stiles’s face and shoved him back so that he wasn’t breathing down his and Scott’s necks. “Stiles, listen to your girlfriend and sit back, will you?”

“We aren’t- ugh,” Ray stopped talking and gave up. She leaned back in her own seat. Derek Hale probably did not care whether or not her and Stiles were dating. Which they totally _weren’t_.

Thankfully it was dark and Stiles wasn’t paying much attention to her because of the commotion in the front seat. He didn’t notice the faint blush on her cheeks when his hand brushed against her side to buckle his seat belt. Ray wished he hadn’t decided to sit in the middle seat. It felt like there was no room to breathe. Her heart began to beat erratically. The anxiety must have been from the excitement of the car being shot at.

Now with Stiles sitting back, she was able to see the annoyance on Derek Hale’s face when he said, “Laying low hasn’t exactly been easy since _someone_ decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state!”

“Can we seriously get past that?” Scott asked, “I made a dumbass mistake. I get it.”

“Alright,” Stiles said as he leaned forward again. Ray signed because her view was blocked. “How did you find him?”

“Can you try to trust us for at least half a second?” Scott said in annoyance.

“Yeah, all of us! . . Or just him,” Stiles offered as he leaned back again. “I'll be back here.”

His knee was bouncing like crazy. He must have been worked up from being shot at too. Ray wondered what would have happened if she put her hand over it. Would he calm down? Would he look at her like she was crazy and swat her hand away?

“Look,” Derek started, “the last time I talked to my sister, she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris.”

Ray’s hand was on her own knee. If she just moved her pinky an inch. . No. No, she shouldn’t.

Scott asked, “Why him?”

“I don't know yet.”

Scott did a hard left, going way faster than he should have been. Ray was flung right into Stiles who had his hands on both front seats to keep himself upright.

“Jesus, Scotty,” Ray mumbled as she sat upright. Her eyes landed on her hand that had grabbed onto something to steady herself during all the commotion. Goosebumps traveled up her arm as she removed her hand from Stiles’s thigh. “S-sorry.”

“What's the second thing she found?” Scott asked Derek, not sounding at all alarmed at his own driving.

“Some kind of symbol,” Derek said as he got out a crunched up piece of paper from his jacket. This time when Stiles tried to lean forward, Ray nudged him so that they both could see. On the paper was a halfhearted drawing of a wolf and a moon. It would have been cryptic to most, but Ray and Scott recognized it immediately.

“What? You two know what this is?” Derek asked as he looked between Ray and Scott.

“I've seen it on a necklace,” Ray admitted.

Scott signed and said, “Allison's necklace.”

“You have to get it. It could have something inside of it,” Derek said.

“No,” Ray shook her head, “It’s not a locket. It’s flat.”

“Still, there could be an inscription on it or something. . .”

“Ray, can’t you ask her if you can borrow it?” Scott asked.

“It’s a family heirloom, Scott. She isn’t just going to let anyone wear it.”

“Just steal it from her,” Derek grumbled.

“No! I’ll ask her for it. No stealing!” Scott told them.

Ray rolled her eyes then leaned back in her seat. Allison would never just hand over that necklace, and even if she did, it would be for nothing! Ray’s seen it plenty of times to know all that’s on it is that picture Derek has.

The next day at school, Ray spent the morning respectfully trying to stay out of Scott’s plan to get the necklace. She knew it had to be bad because he wouldn’t even tell her what it was. In the middle of class third period, Ray had gotten a huge text from Allison venting about Scott. She started out saying, _I know we promised not to talk about him, but-_ Then went on a full essay long rant about how Scott sent her those pictures and what the hell he was thinking.

So as far as Wednesdays go, this one was shit so far. On the bright side, Raymona hadn’t thought of that awkward encounter of her putting her hand on Stiles’s knee _once_ the whole day.

Technically she’d thought about it _four_ times. Because you know, the usual amount of stress from high school, alpha werewolves and secretly helping out a wanted fugitive just wasn’t enough for her brain. No, she had to also add this irrational, crushing sense of panic every time Stiles Stilinski, of all people, came up in conversation.

The first time her mind uncontrollably went to that place was when he waved at her in the hallway before school. Ray wanted to shrivel up and die on the spot as if him acknowledging her existence was the worst thing in the world.

Then later he sat down in the seat in front of her in Econ. Stiles turned around to talk with her before class, “Man, I am sure glad these seats aren’t going 90 on the highway, am I right?”

Why was he referring to the night before? Was he thinking about how she touched his thigh? Did he want her to say something? Apologize?

Stiles halfheartedly laughed at his own comment. He must have noticed that something was up with her, because he followed up her silence with, “Geez, tough crowd.” He rolled his eyes then looked back at her. The light from the window was hitting his face in the most perfect way. His eyes turned a honey color. For a second Ray couldn’t breathe.

Finstock called for everyone’s attention, so Stiles sat forward in his seat. Ray stared at her textbook the entire class and managed not to read a single word or write down anything from Coach’s lecture.

Third period he sat next her in math. Her eyes betrayed her by focusing on his thigh as he sat down. A mild panic set in, but thankfully she could mask it with being nervous to see the scores of their quiz from the other day.

When they got their quizzes back, Stiles was proud to show her his 95. Usually Ray would have gloated about her 97, but instead she flipped her quiz upside down to hide the score. Stiles asked her what was wrong. Thankfully Allison has texted her in that moment. Ray asked to use the restroom then left class to read the text from her friend and respond.

One would think fourth period French was safe because Stiles wasn’t there. Allison and Lydia were excited about quarterfinals that night. They asked Ray if she was going to wear Stiles’s extra away jersey to the game to show her support.

“Why would I do that? We aren’t dating,” Ray reminded them.

“You don’t have to be dating to wear his jersey,” Allison said.

“Étudiantes, vous êtes en cours de français,” their teacher scolded them.

Lydia and Allison continued their conversation in French. It was way too advanced for Ray to understand, so she put her chin in her hand and stared at the board. Would Stiles let her wear his jersey? Not that she wanted to. That’s. . No. Nope. Just like she hadn’t wanted to put her hand on his thigh. That was totally an accident because of Scotty’s driving. Stiles probably hasn’t even thought about it! She had nothing to worry about.

“Raymona, chérie, tu vas bien?” Lydia asked.

Ray took a moment to process what she said since the words had glided so expertly off the redhead’s tongue. “Uh, yeah I’m good.”

“You’re face is all red, do you have a fever?” Allison asked.

“Maybe I just need some water,” Ray said.

She reached for her water bottle and took a drink. Her friends shrugged and went back to talking in French. Ray found herself searching for her textbook to find out how to say a certain word that was on her mind.

_Miel_. Huh. . The word for honey didn’t sound as pretty in French.

Pretty? What the hell was she thinking? Ray had the urge to hit herself over the head with her textbook. Why couldn’t she get him out of her head? Every class he just had to sit by her. Every other day there just had to be some detrimental, supernatural catastrophe that he just had to drag her into. And the normal days were still spent with him since he was her lab partner! There was just no escaping Stiles Stilinski, and now he’s making her feel all this anxiety and shit and- ugh! Her mother was right. He’s just trouble.

When she sat down across from Scott at lunch, Stiles was nowhere in sight. Logically she should have been thankful he wasn’t there, but a part of her wondered where he was. Was he with other friends? He was allowed to have those, of course. Ray sat with other friends often.

Scott was panicking about his plan not working. He asked Ray for advice, but she didn’t really know what to say.

Ray would never let anyone borrow the necklace her dad gave her. What if they lost it, or broke it or never returned it? Scott didn’t understand the concept of being so attached to a simple accessory because nothing had ever been passed down to him like that. He was a single child who was only really ever close to his mother. It wasn’t likely Melissa was handing her fifteen year old son her most prized piece of jewelry to wear. Ray doubted Melissa would trust her son to wear her favorite jacket. Scott had a knack for falling off his bike and putting holes in things.

Or at least, he used to before he turned into a werewolf and all his senses were dialed up to a super human capacity.

Ray tried her best to paint a picture in a way Scott understood. “You trust Stiles, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Alright, now. . Would you let Stiles borrow your guitar? Take it home? Do who knows what with it?”

“Yes,” Scott said it quickly and with his whole heart.

Ray took a stress bite out of her chicken strip. It was going to be hard to make Scotty understand the value of Allison’s necklace.

“Okay,” she tried again, “What’s that band you like?”

“Kings of Leon?”

“Right, okay. What if they signed your guitar and then the next day all the members died and suddenly your guitar was the only one in the world like that, and they gave it to you and only you. Then would you let Stiles borrow it?”

Scott rested his chin on his hand and contemplated. “Is Stiles less clumsy in this hypothetical situation?”

“No. This hypothetical Stiles is just as likely to drop your guitar as-“

The boy in question skidded to a stop next to Scott and put his tray on the table with so much momentum that both his water bottle and banana fell off his tray and rolled onto the table. His hand went to grab the banana while the bottle fell to the floor of the cafeteria.

Stiles gave his two friends an awkward grin then dipped under the table to grab his water bottle.

“No, I would not,” Scott decided instantly.

“And that’s why Allison won’t let me borrow her family heirloom. It’s not just some necklace to her.”

“I’m gonna guess it didn’t go well asking for the necklace last period?” Stiles asked.

“Not exactly,” Scott grumbled, “She told me not to talk to her. At all.”

Ray didn’t want to admit it to Scott, but what he did was pretty shitty. An ex sending old pictures of their relationship in the middle of class? That would hurt. No wonder Allison had to leave class and vent to Ray from a bathroom stall.

Stiles pushed further, seemingly ignoring how tense Scott already was about all this, “So she's not giving you the necklace-“

“She's not giving me the necklace!”

“Well, did you find anything else out?”

“Just that I know nothing about girls, and that they're totally psychotic.”

Now that was a bit of a generalization. Especially since Scott was the one who made Allison cry. Ray harshly stabbed her fork into a chicken strip, causing the two boys across from her to jump.

“If anything, you’re the psychotic one for sending her what you did during class and expecting her not to get emotional.” Ray fired at him in a deadly tone she typically only used on Stiles.

“I thought she’d like them.”

“What, you thought she’d see a picture of you two then come running back in your arms? That’s ridiculous.”

“Whoa, okay,” Stiles interjected, feeling awkward seeing his two best friends fight. Usually he was on the other end of Ray’s wrath, not Scott.

Scott completely ignored Stiles and continued on, “It’s not like you’re offering any help in this! You won’t even try to ask her for it!”

“I already told you, she isn’t just going to hand it over no questions asked! What would you have done if your plan worked, and she came running back to you? It’s not like she would have given you the necklace anyway. The plan was stupid from the start.”

“At least I’m trying something!”

“Just steal the damn thing and get it over with,” Ray seethed as she stood up from the table. “And once you have it you’ll find out that I was right all along about it not being a locket. It’s just a pendant with a picture on it. The drawing is just as much of a lead as it would be to have the actual thing.”

She grabbed her tray and turned to leave, but she looked back at Stiles who squirmed under her gaze.

“W-what did I do?” Stiles asked.

“Don’t forget we’re doing lab work tonight and for once try not to fuck up our plans with supernatural shit.”

“Noted.”

Apparently, when Ray said not to fuck up their plans with supernatural shit, Stiles took that as quite literally the opposite, even going as far as to get her step brother involved. She wasn’t going to complain though. The idea of sitting next to Stiles alone in his room seemed a little too intimidating at the moment.

“Why do you guys need my help?” Danny complained as he pulled in front of the Stilinski household.

“Because Stiles ruined our experiment in class so now we don’t know how to answer like half the problems!”

“And you can’t just copy it because. .”

“Then we won’t understand what happened and we’ll fail the section on the quiz!” Ray insisted. “Come on, it’ll go by so fast, you’ll blink and we’ll be headed home to get ready for the game tonight!”

The two siblings walked into Stiles’s room then froze in place. Derek Hale was seated on the boy’s bed. Ray prayed to god Danny wouldn’t recognize him from the poorly illustrated wanted poster.

“Ray, Danny,” Stiles greeted. “Hope you don’t mind, my cousin is over!”

“You’re cousin,” Danny said in disbelief. He looked Stiles up and down then looked at Derek. There was absolutely zero resemblance.

“Yes! My cousin Miguel! Visiting from Mexico. .” Stiles winced at his own words. He could tell he was digging himself deeper in a hole and just needed to shut up.

“¿De qué parte de México es?” Ray asked Derek.

Stiles gave Ray an _I’m going to kill you later_ glare. Ray patiently waited for an answer with a smirk on her face, knowing Derek could literally say anything right now and it wouldn’t matter because Danny didn’t understand Spanish anyway. Surprisingly, Derek seemed to understand her question, though his answer was short.

“Michoacán.”

“Sheesh,” Ray mumbled. She sat next to him on the bed, leaving the extra chair at Stiles’s desk for Danny.

“Let’s get this over with,” Danny said as he sat next to Stiles. He started to get out his lab notes from his backpack, but Stiles stopped him.

“Actually, I was wondering if first you could trace a text for me. .”

“Seriously? What makes you think I know how to do that?”

“I. . looked up your arrest report, so-“

“I-I was 13. They dropped the charges,” Danny said defensively. “We're doing lab work.”

Stiles begrudgingly opened his text book. Danny’s eyes flickered over time Derek who was reading a book. If he was trying to look casual, reading a book this day in age was the oddest way to go about it.

Danny leaned forward to whisper to Stiles, but the whole room heard it, “Is that blood on his shirt?”

“Yeah. Yes. Well, he gets these horrible nosebleeds. Hey, Miguel. I thought I told you you could borrow one of my shirts.”

Derek placed the book in between him and Ray then stood to go through Stiles’s dresser. All three teens openly gawked as he took off his shirt, revealing his toned torso. The tattoo on his back danced as his muscles flexed. He opened the top left drawer which was full of shirts Ray hadn’t seen Stiles wear since middle school. The man shuffled through them to find a decent one.

“So anyway,” Stiles turned back to Danny, “I mean, we both know you have the skills to trace that text, so we should probably-“

“Uh, Stiles?” Derek called.

“Yes?”

Derek held up a shirt. “This-no fit.”

“Then try something else on!” Stiles rolled his eyes at the man then started talking to Danny again, “Sorry. . .,” he paused, noticing how Danny had been watching Derek put on an orange and blue striped shirt. “Hey, that one looks pretty good, huh? What do you think, Danny? The shirt.”

Danny grimaced. “It's not really his color.”

“You swing for a different team, but you still play ball, don't you, Danny boy?”

“I told you not to call me that, and you're a horrible person.”

“I know. It keeps me awake at night. Anyway, about that text.”

“Stiles!” Derek held up yet another shirt that even Stiles himself couldn’t fit into. “None of these fit.”

“I'll need the ISP, the phone number, and the exact time of the text,” Danny said.

The half naked man was starting to make Ray uncomfortable. She huffed as she made her way to Stiles’s dresser. “His sleep shirts are a size bigger,” She told Derek while opening the bottom drawer.

She had expected him to snatch the black shirt from her hands, but he actually thanked her as she handed it to him. The softness in his voice caught her off guard. She blushed and glanced over to Stiles who was biting the inside of his cheek.

It was then that the emotion showed itself, but it wasn’t her own. Somehow. . somehow she could feel Stiles’s jealousy. It was like she was in his head. Then she heard his voice as if he was really speaking, “ _Stupid, perfect, werewolf physique_.”

Raymona wondered if the night of her birthday wasn’t a dream. What if she really had heard Lydia’s thoughts that day? Lydia called Scott hot right before making out with him in Coach’s office! That wasn’t some fluke. . Ray heard it.

Derek seated himself back on the bed with the book. Could he know something about her kind? Maybe since he could teach Scott not to shift, he would be able to teach Ray. . Or at least tell her something. Anything.

“There,” Danny nodded to the screen. Derek, Stiles and Ray all huddled close to him to read what he found. “The text was sent from a computer. This one.”

“Registered to that account name?” Derek asked.

“No, no, no, no. That can't be right,” Stiles said.

Ray couldn’t believe her eyes. The text sending Allison to the school had been sent by her very own neighbor.

Melissa McCall.

“We have to go ask her about it,” Stiles said to Ray.

“No, we’re going,” Danny announced. He grabbed his backpack then handed Ray her own.

“Can I just stay and-“

“No, Ray. You can’t stay because whatever you guys are trying to investigate, whatever the hell happened at the school, it’s dangerous. You acted like a complete zombie for two days after that. If I let you get involved in this, you’re mother will kill me. And then probably you too!”

“But, Danny-“

“And you,” Danny said to Stiles, “-you should be tell your dad all of this and not trying to figure it out yourself. If you’re late to the game tonight, Coach’ll never give you another chance.”

“I know,” Stiles said quietly.

“Good. So I’ll see you on the field in an hour.”

Danny grabbed Ray’s arm and dragged her out of Stiles’s house.

Danny left home for the game before the rest of her family. Sonia agreed to let Ray go to the game with Gabby and hang out afterward, although Ray figured she would be hanging out with Scott and Stiles after if the whole text being sent from Scott’s own mother thing turned out to be true. Ray was really thankful to have Gabby as a cover up, and vice versa.

Not only was Gabby officially done being grounded, but her mother even let her take the car out for the night. Which she planned on spending with her boyfriend after his team won the quarterfinals. Of course, Gabby had told her mother that she was going to be hanging out with Ray after the game, but what Gabby’s mom didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. And it was a good thing she didn’t know her daughter was dating Greenberg, because that definitely would have hurt her.

“Gosh he is so cute, look at him,” Gabby said dreamily.

The lacrosse team was all seated at the bench now that they got out of the locker room. Greenberg was just sitting casually with his helmet on even though they had another ten minutes before the game would start. His slumped figure didn’t look any cuter than any of the others on the bench, that much was for sure.

Not being able to contain herself, Gabby rushed down into the field to wish her boyfriend luck before the game. Ray watched her friend go up to the team then realized something.

There was no number 24.

Ray stood up from the stands to get a better look. A McCall with a number 11 caught her eye, but there was no Stilinski in sight. Almost identical to the way Gabby had just ran down the bleachers, Ray hurried into the field to talk to Scott.

She turned her best friend around by the shoulder pads to ask, “Where’s Stiles?”

Scott wasn’t ecstatic to see her after their argument earlier, but the mention of Stiles being missing softened his demeanor.

“He’s not with you?”

“Danny and I left his house like over an hour ago. He and Derek were supposed to go investigate the hospital, where the text came from. He didn’t tell you?”

Scott’s eyes went wide. “The hospital? How do you know it came from there?”

“Danny traced it. Scott, it came from your mom’s computer.”

Before the two could say anything else, Coach Finstock was at their side. He did not look happy as he asked, “Nerine, where the hell is your boyfriend, Bilinski?”

“Bilinski?” Ray questioned at the same time Scott asked, “Boyfriend?”

“Tell him if he isn’t here to be first line, his ass is on the bench again!”

“Will do, Coach,” Scott answered for her since Ray seemed to be starstruck that Coach was yelling at her so harshly.

After the coach left, Scott put a comforting hand on his neighbor’s shoulder. “I’ll call Stiles and see what’s up. Don’t worry about it, okay? He’s safe with Derek.”

Even after the way Ray lashed out on him earlier, he was still trying to comfort her. Yeah, he had been an idiot about the way he handled Allison, but that shouldn’t have been Ray’s place to say anything. She promised Allison she wouldn’t discuss her with Scott, and that’s exactly what she did at lunch by telling Scott he made Allison cry.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she hugged his middle. His shoulder pads made the hug uncomfortable.

“Don’t be. You were right. My plan was stupid.”

“Yes but, I shouldn’t have said it in such a mean way, and it’s not like I was offering any better solutions.”

“Well actually you did. Turns out stealing it was a hell of a lot easier, and. . there’s nothing special about the necklace.”

Ray roughed up his hair and wished him good luck in the game. She joined Gabby in the stands who was fixing her lipstick after making out with Greenberg. Hopefully Stiles would at least show up to watch the game from the bench, because Ray wasn’t too keen on riding home with Gabby and Greenberg. It would also be nice if he would show up so that she could stop worrying.

Why was it taking so long for Derek and Stiles to check the computer at the hospital?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I title one more chapter in French, please give me an intervention. I don’t even know French!  
> I just love the dynamic of Ray in French class like Allison and Lydia having full on convos meanwhile Ray’s just in her own little headspace, not understanding a single word and usually panicking.
> 
> I may go back to work next week! It’s all up in the air here. . I’m excited to go back, but also a little scared at this point! Are you guys still quarantined where you are?


	10. Funny Business

Gabby squealed as she raced down onto the field to congratulate her boyfriend. Practically the entire town was either cheering from the bleachers or making a people tunnel for the team to run down on their way back to the locker room. The small town of Beacon Hills has one thing that brought everyone together: lacrosse. Now their team was going to the state finals! There was more school spirit in the air than there was oxygen.

It was hard to be excited when the one person Ray wanted to celebrate with never showed up to his own game. The footsteps of the town charging down the bleachers around her sounded like war drums. Ray checked her phone for the hundredth time that night. Usually it was her ignoring texts from Stiles, not the other way around.

Scott said Stiles was safe with Derek. Raymona trusted Scott, really she did, so why was she so bothered by Stiles not showing up? He probably got tied up investigating and completely forgot about the game. .

Something just didn’t sit right. How could Stiles just forget to go to quarterfinals? It was meant to be his big debut on the field. He wouldn’t just forget to go.

“Raymona,” the town sheriff greeted as he walked across the bleachers to her seat. “Why aren’t you racing off to celebrate with Scott?”

“Oh, I’m-“ Ray shoved her phone in her pocket, but not quick enough for the sheriff not to notice the name on her screen. “-just waiting for the crowd to die down a little.”

Noah sighed. “So you haven’t heard from my son either, huh? Well you know he just-he gets anxiety and all that. I’m sure he was just too nervous to play.”

Ray hoped that was all it was, but still part of her worried. She asked his dad, “You don’t think he would have had another anxiety attack, do you?”

“Another one? Has he had one recently?”

“Ah, um,” the girl stuttered as she scratched behind her ear. She felt like she was telling on Stiles for doing something bad, but the look of genuine concern on his dad’s face made her feel like she could be honest with him. “The night of parent teacher conferences he had one when. . when Melissa called him about you.”

The sheriff seemed caught off guard as he took in that information. The crowd on the field was still yelling and cheering even though most players had moved to the locker rooms. It may have been true that Stiles was just too nervous to play the game, but Ray knew something more sinister was happening behind the scenes of Beacon Hills High School. Stiles had gone with Derek to explore a possible lead on the Alpha. Ray doubted nerves about playing in the game would have been the reason the boy didn’t show.

She really needed to go find Scott. Maybe they could borrow his mom’s car and go investigate at the hospital for themselves.

“If he’s at home just worried about the game and avoiding everyone’s calls, will you let me know?” Ray asked.

“Of course,” the sheriff promised her, “and if he’s not. .”

“He’s probably just driving his cruise route if he’s not.”

“His-what?”

“You know, his cruise route! Like a drive around town to think and listen to sad music route. .”

“I. . Didn’t know he did that. . No wonder he is constantly asking for gas money. I knew going to school and back shouldn’t have been wasting that much. .” Noah rubbed his face then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, Raymona. Good talk! Go find Scott and don’t stay out too late celebrating the win!”

Danny was leaving the locker room as she was entering. He told her not to stay out too late looking for Stilinski. She wondered how the hell he read her mind, but was thankful he wasn’t pushing too many questions about the text he had to trace. He left to catch up with Jackson and celebrate the win with drinking until they forgot about why they were drinking. Ray wished she could just drink to forget everything.

Scott was the last one in the locker room. He looked relieved to see her and immediately asked, “Have you heard from Stiles?”

“No, I was about to ask you the same thing.” Ray leaned against the missing boy’s locker as Scott put on a shirt. She was happy her and Scott made up. They had only been mad at each other for a few hours, but they rarely fought like that.

“You said the text came from the hospital?”

“Yeah, your mom’s computer,” she reminded him.

“Right. We’ll go there first. You got your bike?”

“No! And I don’t think I’d make it to the hospital on my bike from here anyway.”

Scott sighed. “There’s something else. We need to find Derek too because . . Jackson knows.”

“Knows?” Ray stood up straight. “Knows what?”

“That I’m a werewolf, and he’s been threatening me that if I don’t get him the bite, he’s gonna tell Allison about me.” Scott banged his head against his locker.

“Shit. Shit. This is bad. Jackson always gets what he wants.”

“I know.”

“And he’ll do anything to make it happen.”

“I know! You aren’t making me feel any better!”

Ray threw up her hands dramatically. “Sorry I’m not Miss Optimistic, Scott! In case you’ve forgotten, Stiles is missing! So why don’t we take care of our issues one at a time, starting with him because he comes up with all the plans, and I have no freaking idea what to do about Jackson.”

Scott grabbed his lacrosse bag. “You’re right. Let’s-“

The lights of the locker room shut off on them. It felt like the room got so quiet, Ray could hear her own heartbeat.

Scott called out, “Coach?”

The boy rounded the corner with his neighbor right at his heels. He motioned for her to stay quiet as they tiptoed over to the shower area. A shadowy figure stood near the back wall. Ray’s breath hitched as they stepped forward.

It was just Derek Hale.

Both teens released the tension in their shoulders. Ray stepped to the side of Scott, no longer feeling the need to hide behind him.

“Thank god!” Scott said, “Do you have any idea what’s been going on?”

“More importantly,” Ray added, “Where the hell is Stiles? He missed the entire game!”

“I don’t really get lacrosse,” an unfamiliar voice from behind the teens made them jump and turn around.

A man looking to be in his thirties was holding a lacrosse stick and walking toward them. Ray and Scott both backed away from him, the girl hiding behind her neighbor once again.

“It was you-“ Scott accused.

Ray tugged on her friend’s sleeve and whispered, “Who is that?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Raymona. We haven’t officially met, in this form that is,” the man said darkly. “My name is Peter, Peter Hale.”

It suddenly clicked that this man must have been the alpha. Ray looked back at Derek who’s stoic expression didn’t give her many answers. “Your catatonic uncle?”

“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here. That’s just rude.”

“And killing people at random isn’t?” She fired back. Scott elbowed her to shut her up.

“It’s not at random, but that reminds me. . I read somewhere that Lacrosse comes from native Americans tribes and that they played it to resolve conflict. I have that right?” He paused and looked to Scott for confirmation. “I have l little conflict of my own to resolve, Scott. But I need your help to do it.”

“I'm not helping you kill people,” Scott told him.

“Well, I don't want to kill all of them. Just the responsible ones. And that doesn't have to include-“

“Allison,” Derek finishes for him.

“You're on his side?” Scott asked in disbelief. “Are you forgetting the part where he killed your sister?”

“It was a mistake,” Derek told him.

“That’s the poorest excuse I’ve ever heard,” Ray retorted.

“It happens,” Derek told her.

Peter pulled the attention back to himself. “Scott, I think you're getting the wrong impression of us. We really just want to help you reach your full potential.”

“By killing my friends,” Scott said. Ray clutched onto the back of his shirt for dear life.

“Sometimes the people closest to you can be the ones holding you back the most. .”

“If they're holding me back from becoming a psychotic nut job like you, I'm okay with that.” Scott took Ray’s hand in his own and squeezed it.

“Maybe you could try and see things from my perspective-“

Peter stepped forward with his claws out. Derek grabbed Ray by the shoulders and pulled her away from Scott as she screamed out. The second Peter’s claws dig into the back of her friend’s neck, their hands broke apart. She struggled to get out of Derek’s hold, but only was let free after Scott fell to the tile floor.

“Scotty!” She screamed as she felt to her knees next to him.

The two men left, not caring that the teenage boy was writhing on the floor and screaming out. Ray had seen people act like this, but only on TV. She feared he was having a seizure, so she tried to put him on his side. Scott just kept flopping around and screaming out.

She wished she could do something to stop it. When he did stop, she suddenly wished he hadn’t. He laid frozen on the shower floor, knocked out or possibly worse. Tears were dropping from her chin onto his face now as she leaned over him to hold his face.

“Scott? Scott!” She patted his face a few times. No response. “Please don’t be dead,” she mumbled as she leaned down to listen to his chest. She thought she could hear a heartbeat, but it could have just been her own pumping loudly in her ears from all the panicking.

If things like this were going to keep happening, she really needed to take a CPR course over the summer.

“Okay, okay,” she mumbled to herself, “I’ve seen this in movies. I can do this.” Her shaking hands pressed over his chest and she began counting. By the time she made it to twenty pumps, she wondered at what point she was supposed to give him a breath of air. At thirty she figured it was time, but she hesitated.

“Don’t kill me for this,” she mumbled as she leaned down. Before she reached his lips, Scott woke up and took in a deep breath. Ray quickly fell back away from him to give him space.

“Oh sweet Jesus. You just prevented this from getting awkward real fast.”

“I saw-“ Scott gasped for air again, “-the fire, and I felt it too. I felt like I was burning. And-and I saw him kill Laura.”

Ray pushes herself up from the tile floor then helped up her friend. “So he gave you like a vision or something? That’s what that was? You looked like you were having a freaking seizure, and I thought-I thought you died for a second there.”

Scott groaned and rubbed his chest. “I feel like I did. Why does my chest hurt?”

Ray blushed and scratched the back of her head. “Yeah sorry ‘bout that. Tried giving you CPR and- Oh don’t give me that scared ass look, McCall. Don’t worry, I didn’t kiss you.”

“Good, well thanks I guess,” he said as he sat on a bench to catch his breath.

The locker room door burst open and their third musketeer clamored in wildly. A wave of relief washed over Ray. One less thing to worry about.

“Dude, we have a huge problem,” Stiles said breathlessly.”

“Trust me, I know,” Scott told him.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Ray shouted at the boy.

“Picking flowers! Where the hell do you think I’ve been! Peter attacked me at the hospital and after Derek saved me then he went off with him! I’ve been busy!”

“Too busy to call or text back? What? I couldn’t get a, ‘Hey don’t worry, not dead’ text?!”

“Guys,” Scott said tiredly, “Don’t do this now.” He stretched out his back which caused a loud pop. “Oh that’s better. I think you popped one of my ribs out of place, Ray.”

“Ray popped one of your ribs out of place?” Stiles gasped at the two.

“Yeah. She gave me CPR after Peter gave me some weird-“

“Wait,” the Stilinski boy interrupted, “Did you guys kiss?”

Why did he follow up that question with giving Ray such an angry look? He should be happy Ray saved their best friend’s life. What the hell does it matter if they kissed!

“No!” Scott and Ray shouted in unison, both sounding very disgusted.

“Good, that’s good.” Stiles let out a shaky breath and ran his hand over his hair.

Giving Scott CPR would not have counted as a kiss anyway. Ray’s first kiss was going to be something special. It definitely wasn’t going to happy in the smelly boy’s locker room while she was crying and trying to keep her friend alive.

She cleared her throat and changed the subject, “Anyway, let’s head home and try to figure out how the hell we’re going to deal with Jackson.”

“Speaking of that. .,” Scott said sheepishly, “it gets worse.”

“How the hell can Jackson knowing about you get any worse?” Stiles asked.

“I over heard the Argents talking at the game. They think he’s the second beta, so we have to protect him.”

The best plan Scott and Stiles could come up with the next day was just following Jackson around. Ray didn’t want any part of it because of how blatantly obvious their plan was. It was also hard to worry about Jackson after the cryptic text she received from her dad that morning.

“ _Sorry I missed your birthday. It’s strong when the tide is strong._ ”

She tried calling him repeatedly, but his phone was off again. Still, hearing something from him made her feel a little less crazy. What did Jayden say that night? They were sea myths? Something like a mermaid?

How the hell was Ray supposed to know when the tide was strong if she lived in the middle of a fucking forest in the hills of Northern California? And what was strong when the tide was strong? Her ability to grow freaking green scales on her hands?

Ray attempted to go about her day without stressing too much about “sea myths” and mermaids or whatever the hell. . But doing the things he usually did to férreas wasn’t working either. It was hard to focus on things like filling out the first page of her new sketch book when she’s just come to terms with the fact that she can occasionally hear other people’s voices in her head.

Though it was true she craved a distraction from her issues, Lydia asking her why Scott and Stiles were acting so weird while they were at lunch was not what she had in mind. The boys sat a few tables away from the girls with their books stood upright on the table to cover their faces. Jackson was sitting across the room with Danny and a few other upper class men lacrosse players.

“I don’t know what they are up to, Lydia. Boys are stupid.” Ray really did not want to get involved in their antics today.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Lydia mumbled then bit into her apple.

“I think we need a break from boys,” Allison announced.

“I’m down. My grandma was lesbian,” Lydia said with a shrug.

“That’s not-“ Allison was at a loss for words. “I just meant shopping.”

“Right, right, right,” Lydia took another bite of her apple.

“I wish I could have a break from boys and go, but I haven’t been doing any of the lab packet all week.”

Lydia smiles evilly at her. “So you and Stilinski are having another study date then?”

“Well the last one just went over so well, I thought why not go for a round two?” Ray stabbed her fork into her salad.

“Yeah, try to remember your chemistry book before you leave school this time,” Allison told her.

“And don’t call us if you end up coming back here for it,” Lydia added.

“Great advice guys, thanks.”

“I have some real advice for you though,” Lydia said as she leaned forward, “I’m gonna give you my fool proof, five step study date plan. It’ll get him in your pants 100% of the time.” Why did she sound like a ShamWow commercial?

“Lydia!” Allison chastised, “They aren’t even official.”

The redhead huffed. “As if you and McCall were official when you jumped his bones during your study date. You skipped straight to step four.” Allison blushed deeply.

Ray gagged. “Oh god, I don’t wanna hear about my neighbor like that, please.”

Later on Ray came across Scott and Stiles looking oddly suspicious in the halls. It was obvious to the whole world what the two knuckleheads were doing as they leaned around a corner in the hallway to watch Jackson open his locker after school.

The boys jumped and Stiles even let half a scream out when Ray put her hands on their shoulders from behind. She couldn’t help but laugh at their terrified looks.

“Settle down Spy Kids. It’s just me.”

“Scott, can we please kick her out of the group, please?” Stiles begged.

“You’d miss her,” Scott deadpanned then went back to spying on Jackson.

“Pft- I would not-,” Stiles struggled to find words as his cheeks went red.

“Sure you wouldn’t,” Ray said as she rolled her eyes. “Tomorrow’s Friday.”

Stiles patted the top of her head. “Look at you learning the days of the week. Maybe if you keep studying, soon you’ll learn about the weekend.”

If looks could kill, Stiles would be a dead man walking.

“First off, of you ever lay a hand on me again, I’m dragging your ass to Peter’s doorstep. Secondly-“

“He’s on the move!” Scott whisper shouted. He broke away from the other two to follow Jackson down the hall, probably to the parking lot.

Stiles tried chasing after Scott, but Ray grabbed his hand and pulled him back. “You aren’t getting out of this one, Stilinski. Our lab work for the week is due tomorrow and we haven’t worked on it all week!”

“We’ve been busy, you know, like we are now-“

“Are you two seriously gonna follow around Jackson all night? I already told Allison and Lydia that I couldn’t go shopping with them because we had to catch up on all this work.”

A mischievous smile found it’s way to the boy’s lips. He was no longer trying to get away to follow Scott, but rather he took a step toward Ray who effectively stepped back. Suddenly she didn’t feel like she had the upper hand in this conversation.

“You told the girls you’d rather hang out with me?” Stiles turned his hand in her and locked their fingers. Ray immediately pulled away, blushing.

“That’s not- that’s not at all what I just said, Stilinski.”

“Well thats what I heard.”

“My words aren’t up for interpretation.”

“All words are fake and made up by humans. I think everything is up for interpretation.”

Stiles licked his lips and looked down the hall again. He seemed like he was making a decision he would regret. Ray knew what was coming, and maybe it was for the best. He wouldn’t be able to focus on homework if he didn’t know what Jackson was up to. It would probably be easier to just work alone.

“Scott really needs me to drive him to make sure Jackson gets home safe,” the boy said regretfully.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” Ray sighed and looked down the hall the way Scott and Jackson had gone. “Don’t worry about the assignment. I’ll figure it out.”

“Just come with us, and then afterwards we can-“

“No-“ Ray put her hand up to stop him. “Last time we took a detour before studying, I ended up running around the school all night trying not to die.”

“Then. . ,” Stiles grabbed her shoulders as he thought of an idea, “I’ll pick you up after! Does six work?”

“You promise we’ll actually work on lab work?”

“I swear.”

“No funny business?”

“Well,” the boy said as he walked backwards away from her, “Maybe a little funny business.” He winked and gave her finger guns before turning to sprint down the hall toward the parking lot.

Ray spent her whole bike ride home wondering what funny business with Stiles Stilinski would entail.

The ringtone had not lasted a single second before Ray, who was waiting by her front door, answered it with, “You’re late. Thirty seven minutes late, to be exact.”

The boy on the other line sighed. “I know, I know. I’m literally on my way right now it’s just. . My dad was talking about the Hale fire and the murders and how he is linking them, and he said something about. . .” The boy trailed off, sounding distant.

“About what?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I’m on my way, I swear!”

“Good because in case you’ve forgotten, this lab work is due tomorrow, and we haven’t started the stuff we learned Mon-“

“Oh, hold on. Scott’s calling.”

“Stiles, if you hang up on me I swear to-“ The call ended. “That little shit!”

“Language,” her mother chastised.

Danny laughed and shook his head. “Well, she isn’t wrong. Stiles is a little shit.” His father scolded him by saying not to be so truthful.

Sonia saw the hurt look on her daughters face. “Mija, why is that boy your lab partner? You know he is trouble.”

“It wasn’t my fault, Mom. Allison ditched me so she could be with Scotty!”

“Can’t you ask your teacher to switch you?”

“I can, but not before this is due tomorrow. If he flakes on me again, I swear to god-,” the screeching of tires interrupted her thought, “That’s him. Goodnight!”

As soon as she was out the door, Danny said, “She is so in love with him.”

Sonia gasped. Danny’s dad scolded him, “Danny, what did I just say about how you shouldn’t be too truthful when it’s not necessary.”

Outside, Ray was barreling into the passenger seat of the Jeep. “So, I was thinking we start with. .,” she caught eyes of something in her peripheral then whipped her head around to see Scott running toward the jeep, “Why the hell is Scott on his way over here?”

Stiles’s nose scrunched up as he winced, “So, about that-“

“Hurry before I lose his scent!” Scott yelled. “Hey, Ray, mind sitting in the back?”

Ray sucked on her teeth, giving Stiles a slow blink. “I hate you.”

Stiles sighed. “I know.”

Raymona was uncharacteristically quiet in the backseat, not offering one single sarcastic comment the entire winding drive through town. She debated getting out the lab work and at least trying to get a start on it, but Scott’s super werewolf sense of smell was leading them left and right, and left again. If she were to even open her textbook, she knew she would get sick.

In her defense, she didn’t start it Monday since that was her birthday. Tuesday she was busy with learning to drive stick and being in a _freaking_ car chase. Yesterday was the quarterfinals, though she did set up time with Stiles to work on lab work. It wasn’t her fault he used that time to make her step brother trace a text.

It had been a long week.

Eventually they came to a stop. Melissa and Peter Hale were parked about a block ahead of them. Scott’s plan was to get out and send Stiles to ram into Peter’s car, effectively ruining Melissa’s date. Once Scott hopped out of the Jeep to hide in the shadows, Stiles turned to look at Ray.

“Wanna sit up front?”

Ray gingerly moved to the front seat, avoiding looking at Stiles at all costs.

“Not talking to me, huh?” Silence. “I promise we’ll work on the assignment after this. I’ll stay up all night and finish it myself if I have to. We won’t fail.”

The two could sleep through every chem lesson and still ace an exam. Ray knew they could half ass the assignment and still manage a B or even higher. She wasn’t mad they might fail, she was mad because she couldn’t count the times their plans to study together had fallen through in the last week. Sure, half of it was her fault for not answering his texts after what happened with the Alpha at school, but. . god she just felt so stupid.

Every time she got in the Jeep it felt like the boys were ambushing her with some dangerous mission. All she wanted to do was keep up her good grades and worry about practicing for her driving exam Monday. She didn’t want to think about the giant beast that’s tried to kill her a bunch of times or..or..whatever the hell happened on her birthday.

The girl was pulled from her spiraling thoughts as the Jeep bumped lightly into the back of Peter’s car. Her arm flew out to hold Stiles back even though they’d really just tapped it. She pulled her hand away quickly, remembering she was mad at him.

“You good?” Stiles asked her.

Peter and Melissa got out of the car in front of them. Ray was not great at lying, but they’re already too deep in this. She’d have to muster up some ability to act. Or maybe. . Maybe she could use the truth to mask the lie. She was already mad at Stiles, and Melissa wouldn’t question her yelling at him.

The passenger side door of the Jeep swung open violently. Ray came out hot, yelling, “Stiles! You idiot!”

“Oh, are you kidding me? Stiles!” Melissa yelled at the boy.

Stiles tumbled his way out of the Jeep. “Mrs. McCall? Wow, this is just crazy. What a coincidence, huh?”

“Were you not paying attention? You could have killed us!” Ray yelled.

“I don’t know what happened. They just came out of nowhere. .”

“Came out of nowhere? We were parked on the side of the road, Stiles.” Melissa three her hands up then moved to start investigating the damage.

“We should probably call the cops, you know, do an accident report or. . something.” Stiles was not being too convincing.

Peter interjected, “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“My neck really hurts,” Raymona said. She winced and pouted.

Stiles added, “What if she got whiplash? Will she have to where a brace?”

“Whiplash? Stiles, you hit us!” Melissa reminded him.

Stiles squared Ray’s shoulders to make her look at him. “How many fingers am I holding up?” He put his entire hand up.

“Do thumbs count as fingers?” Ray asked.

Melissa put her hand on Ray’s shoulder. “Raymona, I’m sure you’re fine. Now, Stiles, take this girl home.”

“Yes ma’am!” After the two teens piled back into the jeep, Stiles added, “Technically she never said which house to take you to, so taking you home could be interpreted as-“

“Oh just take me to your house, Stilinski. We still have our lab work to do. You know, the whole reason we are hanging out in the first place.”

Stiles glanced over at her while at a stop sign. Ray knew that look, the half turned smile, the excitement in his eyes. . He was about to say something smart to piss her off.

“Pretty sure we both recently learned that hanging out isn’t always a platonic term.” And there is was, the evil wink.

Ray had the urge to bang her head against the dashboard. “Well I meant it platonically. And that thing you are referring to was also platonic. We were just. .“

“Hanging out with two other couples?” Stiles offered, still smirking at her.

“Yes-wait. No.” Ray wasn’t sure is she was walking into a trap with his phrasing. _Other couples_ definitely made it sound like they were already one. That would be a disaster. “Stiles, have you made it your life mission to annoy me?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, stop it.”

“How about instead I just buy you that milkshake I owe you?”

It was then Ray realized the jeep was not going in the direction of his house. While she rarely turned down Shakey’s, she didn’t want to lose even more time on the assignment. If they had been working on it daily, it wouldn’t be such a bid deal. So much time was already lost because of Stiles being late and the detour to ruin Melissa’s date. .

Ray attempted to be a voice of reason, “We should really start the assignment. It’s already probably going to take hours and-“

“And we can do it while drinking our shakes!”

Sonia always told her that with her father, her mother would have to pick her battles. Letting Stiles buy her a milkshake didn’t seem like the end of the world, but she knew it would take up time, which they were running out of. Ray didn’t want to spend the whole lunch period Friday struggling to finish lab work. In the end she figured arguing with him wasn’t worth it.

Then when Stiles tried to convince her to work on the lab work on the cold outdoor stone tables at Shakey’s, Ray found herself agreeing for the sake of being agreeable. The sooner they started this thing, the better.

Ray was sitting across the hyperactive boy at the uncomfortable stone table. She paused from drawing a diagram to take a sip of her mint shake. When she looked across the table to make sure Stiles was still focusing on the assignment, she found him staring at her with that mischievous look in his eyes.

“For the love of- Stilinski! You are supposed to be labeling the diagram I drew of Monday’s lab.”

Stiles took a fry from the pile they were sharing in the middle of the table. “This is totally a date,” he said proudly as he ate the fry.

Ray rubbed her temples. “We are doing homework. This is not a date.”

“So if we weren’t doing homework, this would be a date?” He asked.

“Yes, no. No! Definitely not. We would not be on a date. Can you just-ugh.” Ray gave up, knowing it was pointless to ask Stiles Stilinski to focus, especially when he was in this sort of mood. “So what is it really? Your dad say something about the Hale fire that’s got your detective brain all fired up or what?”

There had to be a reason Stiles refused to focus. He could do a chemistry assignment in his sleep, so why was he avoiding working?

“It’s not that-well, he does think Derek is murdering people related to the fire, but that’s not all. It’s not important though.”

“Stiles, if you don’t get it off your chest, we’ll never be able to focus on this.”

Stiles’s eyes looked glossy under the blues, purples and pinks of Shakey’sfluorescent outdoor lighting. He nervously chewed on his straw. For the first time that night, he wasn’t able to look Ray in the eyes.

“It’s not my. . Actually-“ he sighed, “it is my fault. I shouldn’t have poured him a drink.”

“Poured who a drink?”

“My dad,” he admitted, his voice shaking, “I got him drunk so that he would tell me what he knew about the murders. . And I- god, I’m such a shitty son.”

Stiles and his dad were very close. It was obvious that he felt a responsibility to take after his dad since his mom passed. Stiles learned how to cook after she was gone, though the meals rarely ever covered the food groups. Still he would put a steaming bowl of Mac and cheese in front of his dad on the nights where the man would just miss his wife too much to get off the couch.

To get one’s own parent drunk purposefully. . Ray wondered if she would do something like that to her own mother. In all honesty, she could see herself getting her mom drunk to find out more information about her dad. Sonia denied that anything was special about him, but she had to know something.

Not only would Ray do it, but her reasonings for it would be far more selfish than Stiles’s. The boy got his dad drunk for information, yes, but he was using that information to help solve the mystery of the Alpha. He was being selfless.

“I would have done the same, and so would have Scott. We need to figure out this alpha thing stat, and finding out that all the murders can be connected to the Hale fire is pretty important. You aren’t shitty.”

“I am,” he whispered. “I got him so drunk that he said-he said he missed my. .”

The boy didn’t have to finish his sentence. Ray knew what he was trying to say. “You didn’t have to get your dad drunk to make him miss your mom. He misses her sober too, you know how I know that? Because even I miss your mom.”

“Really?” Stiles looked at her with such disbelief in his teary eyes. She wanted to reach across the stone table and wipe them off his cheeks. They had no business being there.

“Of course I do. She started my love for art. Every time I get out my paints I think of how she used to let us paint all over ourselves and each other on the back porch. Then she would spray us all down with a hose and Scott and I would go home in a pair of your dry clothes. . My mom never did fun stuff like that with me. She didn’t even let me have paints until a couple years ago. .”

He didn’t have to say he missed her too. Ray knew he felt it every day.

Ray stood up from the table and searched through her backpack for her wallet. “They’re still open for another twenty. I’m buying us mozzarella sticks.”

When Ray came back with the freshly fried treats, Stiles was hyper focused on the lab work. He didn’t even notice her sit next to him until she stole the pen from his hand and replaced it with the cheese stick.

“Did you get-“

“Marinara for you, yes I did. Disgusting, by the way,” Ray said as she placed the sauce in front of him.

“And-“

“They only gave me one ranch. I’m not sharing so that you can mix the two. That should be illegal.”

The boy’s response to that was dipping his mozzarella stick in the marinara then her ranch and swirling it around to make the sauce pink. Ray gasped as if someone had just stolen her child from their stroller.

“You are literally Satan,” she whispered.

Stiles grabbed the ranch to further mix the two sauces. “At least try it this way before making me go ask for another cup of ranch for you.”

She hated to admit it, but the abomination of a creation wasn’t terrible.

The two worked for a while until Ray got a text. Stiles frowned when the girl stood up from the stone bench to stretch. She explained that her mom wanted her home soon then started to pile up their trash to throw away.

“Does home soon have to mean now?” He asked as he took the trash from her to throw away.

“Well you know my mom. Home soon actually means home fifteen minutes ago. . Why do you look like I’ve just kicked you?”

“Just. . Kinda wanted to hang out longer.”

“Well I have good news for you, buddy. We’ll be spending our entire lunch period tomorrow trying to finish this lab work. And, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but hopefully Scott will let us copy some of his.”

After Stiles took her home, Ray searched through her desk drawers for something from a faint memory. When it wasn’t there, she tore apart the boxes in her closet looking for it. Eventually she found it in a shoebox under her bed.

A small pink stone Stiles’s mother Claudia had given to her not even a year before she died. Ray set the stone on the little jewelry tray on her desk, feeling better now that she found it. They were at the park the day she had given it to her. Nothing about that park was the same now. They had since switched out the sand for bark. The climbing structure was completely different. The swings were now smaller and less fun.

A lot of things have changed since they were kids. But, there was also a lot of things that hadn’t. Ray still loved the feeling of painting flowers all over her own arms. Scott still had his love for playing guitar, the first instrument he learned to play thanks to Claudia teaching him a handle of chords. Stiles carried on her sense of adventure and playfulness.

And that silly looking pink rock was still in Ray’s possession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last Wednesday (early hours of Thursday morning) update! I’m going back to work at the salon soon, so from here on out updates will be once a week! I’m aiming for Sunday evenings California time. Chapter 11 will be up this Sunday! It’s already mostly written, and it makes me want to scream! (: In a good way..I think
> 
> Tonight’s update is so late because I completely changed the second half of this chapter on a whim starting at 9:30pm tonight. I may be lactose intolerant, but I would do ANYTHING to go on a milkshake date with Stiles (who is seen drinking from a milk jug in episode 10 right before talking to his dad and now I’m rambling but that little moment of Stiles racing up to the fridge then drinking straight from the milk jug is so endearing to me even thought I hate milk ??)
> 
> Umm anyway..I’m in a weird mood today...
> 
> Hope you all are staying safe! And not drinking milk! I read somewhere once that like 80 percent of adults are lactose intolerant, so that must be true because I read it once, right?


	11. Just A Flower

The halls of the school were smothered in red and pink hearts and streamers. Smiling girls had bouquets of roses and boxes of chocolates they were stuffing into their lockers. The school had never smelled so wonderful. Ray loved Valentine’s Day. Everyone was always so happy, and fresh flowers brightened not only the school, but everywhere she had been that day. Even the DMV the morning had been decorated and vibrant.

Ray burst into the chemistry classroom with a toothy grin on her face. Mr. Harris’s evil glare could not knock her down on today of all days. Some of her friends weren’t in class yet since there was still ten minutes of lunch, but Allison was seated at her usual lab table. Ray skipped over to the girl and stood proudly in front of her desk. She held out the half sheet of paper that had just been issued to her.

Allison jumped at the girl’s sudden arrival. She squinted at the paper then smiled up at Ray.

“You passed!”

“I passed!”

Allison leaned over the lab table to hug her friend. “That’s so awesome, Ray! I knew you would.”

“Now I can get in a car and drive to the coast whenever I want to!”

“Well,” Allison said with a laugh, “you’re gonna need a car first.”

Ray sat on the table in front of Allison’s then quickly jumped back down when Mr. Harris scolded her. Still, there was a huge smile on her face. She opted for leaning against the table instead.

“I’ll just steal Danny’s. Not fair he gets all the cool stuff just because his parents are competing for his love. Anyway, now I’ll be able to drive myself to the dance! I don’t need no man!”

Allison rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile since her friend was radiating so much happiness. “And tell me again why you aren’t going with Stiles?”

Ray’s footing faltered. She grabbed onto the table to keep herself steady, accidentally wrinkling up her temporary license as she did so. The heat rising to her cheeks was uncontrollable.

“W-we aren’t like that, Allison.”

“You could go as just friends like me and Jackson.”

Ray’s nose crinkled up. “You’re going with Jackson? And Lydia’s okay with that?”

“She seemed alright with it when I asked her last week, although. . I was holding a crossbow when I asked. .,” Allison admitted, “She isn’t mad at me or anything. In fact, we’re going dress shopping at Macy’s later. Wanna come?”

“I was actually planning on thrifting mine. .”

“Yeah I probably would be too if Lydia didn’t offer to buy me one as an apology,” Allison said with a shrug. She tapped her pencil against her book then looked up at Ray to ask, “Didn’t you say once that Stiles had a crush on Lydia.”

Ray cleared her throat, trying to seem casual. “Yes, yes he did, or does, I’m not sure. Probably still does, I mean, who wouldn’t.”

“Well Lydia sort of owes me for making out with Scott. . Maybe I’ll have her go with Stiles to the dance, you know, since you two aren’t going together.” Allison raised her eyebrow as she examined Ray’s reaction.

“I bet he’d love to go in a date with her,” Ray said as her eyes landed on the boy in question. He and Scott had just walked into class.

“Oh perfect. I can ask him now. Hey, Stiles!”

Ray broke away from the two to sit in her desk. Scott came over to ask how the test went. Her mood was lifted when she got to show him the paper. He was still looking for his phone that had been missing since Thursday night or else she would have called him as soon as the test ended to tell him about it.

More students started coming into class now that the first bell had rung. Scott made his way to his seat next to Allison and Stiles came to sit next to Ray.

“You won’t believe what Allison just suggested,” Stiles said only loud enough for Ray to hear.

“You should go,” Ray said shortly. She braved a glance at him. “With Lydia, I mean.”

“But, I don’t-“

“What? Is that moving too fast for your five year plan?” Ray didn’t know where her attitude came from. She should be happy Stiles finally got a date with the girl of his dreams.

His eyes narrowed at her. He responded back with just as much venom, “You know, you’re right. Maybe I should take Lydia to the formal.”

Ray felt like there was a small hole in her chest. She ignored the feeling and got out her chemistry book, practically slamming it onto the lab table.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

The two only talked the rest of the class period if it was necessary for the lab. Usually they understood what the other person needed with just looks and gestures, so not much talking had been done. At the end of class, Stiles was quick to pack up his things. Before he raced out of class, he left something in front of Ray in the desk.

A single daisy.

Ray gingerly reached out to touch the flower. She opened her mouth to say something but the boy was already gone.

Eddie Weaver casually leaned against the locker next to hers after school. “Hey, Nerine.”

“What’s up, Eddie.”

“Just wondering what you’re doing right now. You down to study?”

Ray thought about it for a moment. She used the tiny mirror on the door of her locker to adjust the daisy that she had tucked behind her ear. After shutting her locker she shrugged.

“Sure I mean, my brother’s got practice right now so I have a little while before he can give me a ride home. Want to study in the library?”

“You have a brother?”

“Two, actually. My step brother Danny Mahealani is in your grade. . .”

“Hmm, I don’t recognize the name.”

“He plays goalie for the lacrosse team,” that didn’t seem to help, “He plays trumpet in band.”

“Oh! The gay one.”

“Yes,” Ray grimaced, “I guess so.” Danny was a hell of a lot more than just the gay one, but whatever.

There weren’t many students in the library since it was Valentine’s Day. Ray might have been a little sad about not having a date or a special someone, but that sadness was overshadowed with passing her driving test that morning. Besides, who could be sad when the librarian decorated the room so beautifully?

Eddie wasn’t paying much attention to the chemistry homework they were meant to be working on together. The most he did was copy down ever word she wrote on her paper. If Mr. Harris caught them for cheating, Ray was going to be pissed. Hadn’t Eddie been the one to ask her to study? This assignment wasn’t even hard enough to justify copying her.

Ray checked the time on her phone. She had ten minutes until Danny got out of practice.

“Oh! Danny’s gonna be out of practice in a minute. I’ve gotta go!” The girl rushed to gather all her things.

Eddie offered, “I’ll walk you.”

Raymona smiled even though she didn’t feel like doing so. “Sure.”

They were almost to the field when Eddie grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. He planted a kiss right in her lips! His other hand moved behind her head to hold her in place, but she pushed off his chest and stumbled back.

“Oh, um-“ she stuttered.

“Do you want to ditch your brother and maybe come over? I mean, it’s Valentine’s Day, so I’ll treat you to dinner if you want.”

“I just-uh.”

“Raymona!” Danny called out. The whole team was walking toward the locker room, but her step brother broke apart from the group to jog over to her. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Sorry!” Ray called as her brother dragged her off. Her hand flew up to make sure her flower was still tucked behind her ear.

Once they were out of earshot, Danny asked, “The hell was that?”

“He-he kissed me. . Oh god.”

“Yeah, no shit! The whole team saw my sister making out with some-ugh. Seriously, Ray? Him?”

“I didn’t ask to be kissed!” She defended.

Later that night she sat on the porch with her best friend to vent about her awkward study session.

“I guess that’s just not how I pictured my first kiss going,” Ray mumbled as she pulled her blanket tighter around herself.

A wispy cloud floated over the crescent moon in the sky. During the day, clouds were fun to gaze at, but at night Ray resented them. They covered up the stars and made the darkness of the night seem even more ominous.

Scott looked up at the night sky too. He seemed like he was trying to remember something. Ray nudged him and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t your first kiss,” he told her. “I’m trying to think of how old we were at the time. . God we must have been like. . Eight? It was before that Theo kid moved.”

It wasn’t hard to guess the exact memory Scott was trying to recall. Ray shook her head. “No, that doesn’t count.”

“How does that not count? Theo dared Stiles to-“

“We were _eight_. Practically babies. And besides, I didn’t consent to being kissed by Stiles who used to pick his nose and eat it, by the way.” Ray shivered and tried not to gag.

Scott laughed at her reaction. “Can’t imagine how Stiles is going to take it when I tell him his first kiss didn’t count, but if that’s the case. . You didn’t consent to Eddie kissing you, right?”

Ray thought back on it. She hadn’t even closed her eyes or kissed him back. It happened too quick and out of the blue. “No, I guess not. .”

“Then, according to your logic, that kiss doesn’t count either.”

“This is different than kissing Stiles when I was eight.”

“Why? Because you like Eddie?”

Eddie Weaver was an attractive guy, Ray supposed. He looked really cool in his eyeliner while playing guitar. Despite his good looks, he never made Ray nervous. When she agreed to study, she definitely wasn’t thinking that studying in the library would lead to kissing. She didn’t even think to text Lydia and Allison about the plans to study with Eddie as it was all happening. Being alone with him wasn’t some dire situation she needed to worry over and get advice from the girls about.

Usually if she liked a boy she would over think everything before meeting up with him. Once in eighth grade she was invited to a birthday party at a girl named Vanessa’s house. Luca Thompson had been the boy she was crushing on at the time, and he was going to be there. Ray changed her outfit three times and cried when her mother braided her hair wrong. At the party, simply being standing next to him at the snack table made her cheeks feel warm.

Ray didn’t feel any of that for Eddie.

But there was someone who she did feel that way around. That was something Ray was coming to terms with slowly. She hoped if she ignored the feelings, they’d eventually go away. Having a crush on that particular person just might be the dumbest thing Ray had ever let herself do.

However, she couldn’t deny the feelings any longer. The stunt Allison pulled with Lydia only made Ray feel worse about it all. Who was she to deny Stiles a date with the girl he’s been crushing on since third grade? Of course she had to say she was okay with Lydia going with him. Had Allison expected her to say no? It’s not like she could have just admitted to Allison that lately she’d been feeling a skip in her heartbeat whenever Stiles Stilinski said something that was purposefully meant to get under her skin.

Because admitting that out loud to someone. . That opens a whole can of worms. What if word got around to Stiles and he didn’t feel the same? Things would be awkward forever, and he probably wouldn’t want to work with her to help Scott anymore.

Or something even worse could happen. He might feel the same. Scotty probably wouldn’t want to third wheel all the time. Then if they broke up, they’d either be taking turns with Scott like her divorced parents or Scott would just drop her entirely.

In real time on the roof, Scott was trying to read the frightened look on his best friend’s face. He felt like maybe he shouldn’t be the one giving Ray boy advice considering he is kind of shit at navigating his own relationship. For some reason, Ray felt safe enough to open up during these rooftop talks, so Scott tried his hardest to be as supportive as possible.

“Do you not like Eddie?” Scott asked, trying to guess what her silence meant.

“I don’t think I like him. . At least, not as anything more than a friend.”

Scott let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. He scares me.”

Ray laughed as she put her head in her hands. She mumbled, “What am I supposed to do?”

“Be honest with him.”

“With who?” Ray asked.

“Eddie. . Who else?”

“N-no one. Eddie, I mean. . ugh.”

Scott’s eyes narrowed. He was probably listening to her heartbeat. He started pulling at the fraying fabric on the hems of his jeans. The pouty look on his face only made Ray more nervous.

“What is it?” She asked.

“You’ve been weird lately. I know there’s stuff you’re not telling me.”

Ray’s eyes flickered to her hands to make sure they were normal. No green scales. Thank god.

“If I ask you something,” Scott said carefully, “are you gonna get mad?”

She snorted. “If you have to preface with that then probably.”

“Do you like Stiles?”

Raymona seriously debated jumping off the roof, but she would probably just break her leg. That wasn’t good enough for her in that moment. She wanted to die. How the hell had Scott guessed that?

“N-no! Why would you even think that?!”

“Well on your birthday I told you he got first line and your heart rate went crazy.”

Ray’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. Luckily there was some truth to her next lie, “I had a lot going on that day. I was nervous about dinner with my grandparents. Rightfully so, it was a shit show.”

“That sucks. Did your grandparents and mom fight again?”

“Yes and then she picked a fight with me, but I might have deserved it. . . I don’t know.”

Ray went to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. While doing so, the daisy she had there fell out and tumbled to the roof. Her heartbeat nearly stopped as she reached out to grab it. It tumbled just out of her grasp then rolled off the roof.

“No! No, no, no!” She cried. Scott pulled her back as she reached over the edge of the roof for the flower.

“The hell are you doing!” Scott yelled.

“My flower!” Ray cried.

“It’s just a flower!” Scott straightened out his best friend by the shoulders. He was confused by the tears rolling down her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go get it!” Ray scrambled over to the tree to climb down.

“Wait,” Scott told her, “I’ll grab it, just stay here.”

He hoped down from the roof. As he dug through the bushes, Ray leaned over the edge of the roof to see if she could spot the flower. She couldn’t see much in the darkness. It was up to Scott to find it for her.

Eventually Scott came across it and held it up for Ray to see. “This it?” The small white flower looked almost blue in the moonlight.

“Yes! Yes, oh my god. Thank you, Scotty.”

The next day Ray got to school with the bright idea to press the flower for safe keeping. She carefully placed it just right in the biggest textbook in her locker then stacked all her other textbooks on top of it for good measure.

With a shrug she thought she could handle a day without textbooks. First period proved that theory to be correct because they didn’t use their books much, and when they did, Lydia happily shared her own no questions asked. Second period, however, was a totally different ball game.

“Not my fault you forgot yours,” Stiles grumbled. He was still mad at her for. . Ray didn’t really know what. Getting him a date to formal with the girl of his dreams?

“I didn’t forget it,” she told him, “It’s. . Being used for something else.”

“Your textbook for Econ is being used for something other than Econ?”

“Yes!”

“What are you using it for?”

 _To press the flower you gave me, but the why why the hell did you give me a flower and how did you know I like daisies?_ Ray thought.

“That’s. . personal.”

“Then I guess I don’t have to share my personal textbook with you.”

“I’m-I’musingittopressaflower.”

“W-what? Depression hour?” Stiles looked at her like she was crazy.

“No, I’m. . Ugh. I’m using it to press a flower. You know, like preserve it.”

A blush rose to Stiles’s cheeks. Ray wouldn’t doubt her own looked the same. It was like she had addressed the elephant in the room, the elephant being the fact that he gave her a flower and it meant enough to her that she had the urge to press it and keep it.

Stiles cleared his throat and said, “I guess we can share then, yeah.”

The sound of Ray’s desk scraping across the floor made their teacher look up at the two and roll his eyes.

“Nerine, Stilinski, you two have to share a book again?” Coach ridiculed.

“Sorry, Coach,” Ray mumbled sheepishly.

“Teenagers,” he said with a huff. “Alright then Nerine, you start us out since you can’t seem to ever come prepared to my class. Page 167.”

Scott and Ray spent that afternoon in a thrift shop downtown. The clothes smelled a little stale, but Ray didn’t mind doing a little bit of hand washing in the sink if it meant she could find a dress for under thirty bucks. Most of the dresses were super outdated, but she found a navy blue spaghetti strap that was reasonably plain despite obviously being from the 90s. With some pretty jewelry and her hair down, it could pass off as new.

Her neighbor was not having as much luck. Most of the suits they had were odds shaded of grey or pinstriped. He tried on suit after suit, most being way too baggy on his frame.

“I’m never gonna find anything!” Scott groaned from behind the curtain. He had been in a sour mood ever since Coach told him he couldn’t go to the dance because of grades. The boy still planned on sneaking in, but he was still stressed about being able to go. His mom could only give him twenty bucks to find a tux.

Ray understood the struggle. Her mom would be happy to hear she went under budget. The blue dress she picked out was only seventeen.

“I’ll go find another one for you to try. Stay there!” Ray called as she ran off to the men’s section.

She came back with a promising looking charcoal suit. When Scott opened the curtain, it fit him perfectly.

“That’s the one,” Ray told him.

“I can’t believe we found one that fit!” Scott looked at himself proudly in the mirror.

“But there’s a catch. .,” Ray admitted. “It’s five bucks out of your price range.”

“Shit!”

“But, I’ll pay the extra if you promise to buy me a milkshake soon to make up for it.”

“Deal!” Scott hurried back into the changing room to take it off. “You’re the best!”

When Friday finally rolled around, Raymona welcomes the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. As soon as she got home from school that after noon she started getting ready over video call with Gabby. They talked for two hours until Gabby’s laptop lost connection. It probably over heated which wasn’t uncommon with how long the girls would usually video chat for.

Ray adjusted the strap on her heel around her ankle so that the chain of her anklet wasn’t stuck underneath it. When she stood to see herself in her vanity, she saw a shadowy figure in the mirror standing her her doorway. The girl screamed and quickly turned around to discover her mom was just watching over her with a small smile on her face and still in her work scrubs.

“Jesus, Mom. What are you doing here?”

“I came home for lunch to see you before the dance. I know Mel promised to take pictures for me, but I wanted to see you.”

“Well,” Ray turned back to the mirror and asked through it, “Does the dress look stupid?”

“It looks stunning,” her mother told her. “Let me get just a quick picture of you before you head next door.” The woman pulled her phone from her scrubs pocket.

“Mom.” Ray blushed as her mother spun her around. She smiled for the photo then remembered something as her mother turned to leave the room. “Wait, Mom. I’ve been meaning to ask. . Do they still do those CPR classes at the hospital?”

Her mother nodded. “Once a month. Why? You interested in following in my footsteps and becoming an RT?”

No, but with people passing out in front of her being a new theme in her life, Ray wanted to feel more prepared and in control. Maybe learning CPR would help her be less of a panicking mess when those situations come around.

“Guess I’m just curious about what you do.”

“Well let me see what my friend Mark says. He teaches them. The one for this month is Sunday, so I don’t know if he’ll have room.”

“Sunday? Like the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, Raymona, this Sunday. Is that too soon for you, or would you rather wait for next month’s class?”

“No, no that’s fine. This Sunday works.”

Ray was a little nervous for the class, but she knew she’d feel way better after taking it. The only issue was, it cost a hundred dollars to take. Her mother said she could hopefully get a deal on the class since it was her friend that puts it on. Having any sort of discount would be amazing since Ray has been out of work for a few weeks now.

Melissa McCall instantly took out her phone to snap a photo of Ray as soon as she answered the door. The two women walked up stairs to see is Scott was ready. His suit fit beautifully, but his tie was crooked. The room smelled like someone sprayed an entire can of Axe. Ray immediately went to his window and yanked the thing open so that she could breathe.

“Where did you even find a suit that nice?” Melissa asked her son as she fixed his tie.

“At the thrift shop. Ray picked it out.”

“Good find, Ramona! Turn around, Scott. Let’s see this.”

The boy spun around and lifted his arms. There was a hole in the butt of his pants. Ray tried covering up her laughter with a fake cough.

“Oh no,” Melissa said.

Scott started to freak out. “What is it?” He became frantic when he noticed the rip. “What? I-I don't have time for this! I can't buy new ones, Mom! What am I gonna do?”

Melissa tried to calm her son, “Okay, don't panic, all right? Take them off.” Scott looked at Ray who’s frightened expression didn’t give him much comfort. His mother repeated herself as she hurried out of the room, “Pants off now.”

The boy started to unbutton his pants. Ray squeaked, covered her eyes, and turned to face the window. Her shoulders didn’t relax until Scott told her he had put gym shorts on.

Melissa came back into his room with thread and a needle. She sat on the edge of Scott’s bed and started conversation as she got to work. “So is Stiles coming here to pick you guys up then Allison, because you know I need the car tonight.”

“No. I'm going stag,” he told her.

“You're going alone?”

“Stag. There's a difference.”

Ray added, “Yeah, it’s like we’re going alone, but together. In hopes of meeting up with other people who are just as pathetic.” Scott frowned at Ray’s wording, but he didn’t disagree.

“So, is Stiles going stag with you guys then?” Melissa asked.

“He’s going with Lydia,” Scott said.

Ray suddenly became very interested with reading the back of a random book from Scott’s shelf.

“So it’s just you two going alone. . together?”

“Yes, Mom,” Scott whined, “Why are you asking so many questions?”

“I'm sorry, I'm just a little, you know, surprised that, you don't have anyone else to ask other than Allison.”

“There are no other girls besides Allison.”

“Yup, don’t mind me,” Ray mumbled, mostly to herself, “just gonna stand over here and pretend I don’t exist.” She nearly knocked over a Wolverine action figure when she waved her hand dramatically. Luckily she caught it, and the McCalls didn’t seem to notice her mistake.

Melissa continued talking with her son, “You really feel that way?”

“Can you just please keep sewing?” The boy begged.

“No, no, no, no. You have time for just one question. Come here.” She tapped the bed next to her for the boy to sit. “Do you really feel that way?”

“I can't help it. I mean, every time I look at her, I get this-this hollow feeling in my chest, and it's like. . it's like someone literally took a shovel and dug a hole in me, and it's the worst feeling I've ever had in my life, and I didn't know anyone could actually ever feel this bad.”

“I know. Everyone knows eventually. It does go away,” the mother promised.

“I don't want it to,” Scott said softly.

Ray looked up from the bookshelf in shock. She knew Scott was head over heels for this girl, but she hadn’t known he was _this_ hopelessly in love with her. To love someone so deeply that he would rather feel the pain of being apart than get over her. . That’s something straight out of a movie. Love like that couldn’t be real, could it?

“Does Allison know you feel like that?” Ray asked. She thought that surely if Allison knew he felt so deeply, she wouldn’t have agreed to go to the dance with Jackson Jerkhead Whittemore.

“She knows,” he said with a shrug.

His mother hit her palm on his forehead, causing Ray to giggle. Melissa chastised him, “Come on, she knows. She knows? Listen, dumb ass, I'm gonna let you in on a secret that most guys don't even have a clue about, all right? You ready? Women love words. Raymona, back me up.”

Ray nodded. “It’s true.”

“Huh?” Scott said hopelessly.

“You need to tell her how you feel. Just say it. Say it again. Say it differently. Learn how to say it better. Learn how to sing it. You know, just write it in a poem and a letter attached to flowers, carve it in a tree, in a sidewalk with cement, tattoo on your arm-“

Scott interrupted his mom, “Really?”

“No,” Melissa suddenly realized she had just told her son to get a tattoo. “Not really. Just. . tell her the truth. Tell her anything and everything you want.”

“Everything?”

“But when you do, I'd keep that buttoned. Here you go,” she said as she handed him the pants.

Ray closed and covered her eyes again. While she was in the dark, she wondered if boys liked hearing words too. Everything Melissa said was true from Ray’s perspective. She would probably faint if a guy had said something about her like Scott had about feeling a hole in his chest from Allison.

“Alright you two,” Melissa said, “I need a picture of both of you for Facebook.”

After a gruesome bike ride to the dance in a dress, Ray tried fixing up her hair the best she could in the girls bathroom. The first person she saw in the gym was her brother Danny who didn’t give her and Scotty a ride because he wanted to have sex with his boyfriend in his car afterward. Ray didn’t mind that she had to ride her bike until the freezing wind undid all the curls she spend an hour putting in. She stormed over to her brother and crossed her arms.

“You suck,” she insisted.

“Actually, we both do,” Nick said before kissing Danny.

“First of all, gross. Second of all, my hair got ruined on the bike ride over.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked.

Nick looked the girl up and down then said, “You look like you just got the best blow out in your life, and for once I’m not talking about sex.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “It honestly just looks like loose waves. You look fine.”

Ray wanted to still be mad, but the compliments were making blood rush to her cheeks. She huffed and sat at their table. “Well, thanks, but also, you suck.”

“We know,” the couple said in unison.

Once Jackson showed up, Danny and Nick ran off with him to the lunch bowl. Scott was sitting on the bleachers. He had to climb the roof and sneak in alone since he couldn’t technically be here. Ray was happy she bought a ticket. She couldn’t imagine having to do parkour to get into the dance. Nearly ruining her hair during that long ass bike ride was already terrible enough.

Gabby and Greenberg were being yelled at by Coach on the dance floor to stand a an arms length apart. As soon as Coach turned to leave, the couple crashed back into each other like their bodies were glued together.

Danny came back to the table to tell Ray, “Why are you not out dancing?”

“Why aren’t you out dancing?”

“Nick is getting drinks.”

Ray scanned the room for the only person she wanted to dance with. She couldn’t seem to find him among the crowd.

“McCall!” Coach yelled out, “I see you! Come here, buddy.”

Scott scrambled down the bleachers and began running around the gym to avoid Coach. Coach was having none of the boy’s shit. He kept up with the boy, just twenty feet away.

Scott skidded to a halt in front of Ray and Danny’s table.

“Danny-,” the boy grabbed onto Danny’s suit jacket desperately, “Dance with me!”

Danny scoffed. “No.”

Ray smiled evilly, loving how uncomfortable Danny looked. “Oh, Danny. Just dance with the boy. He’s practically begging.”

“I am begging!” Scott admitted “Please! Right now! Right now!”

As soon as the two boys started swaying, Coach caught up to Scott.

“Mccall! You're not supposed to-,” Everyone seemed to stop and look to see what the teacher was yelling at. “What the hell are you do-What the hell are you doing?”

“Yes, Coach?”

“It’s the twenty first century, Coach. Boys are allowed to dance together,” Ray piped up from her seat at the table.

“Okay, ho, ho, ha. . Hold on, you-I was just saying he's not supposed to. . I mean, I wasn't saying that he shouldn't-,” All the other student were glaring at the coach, waiting for an explanation that didn’t sound homophobic. “You guys don't think-You don't. . I was- Just dance, everybody. Just dance! Dance! It's a party!”

Once the chaperone was gone, Scott pulled away from Danny and said, “Thanks, dude, I owe you!”

Scott ran off, leaving Danny alone to explain the whole situation to Nick who had just gotten back from getting drinks. Nick slammed the two drinks down on the table and took Danny by the hand.

“I’ll show you how to really dance with a boy,” Nick said suggestively as he pulled Danny onto the dance floor.

After just a few songs, the whole scene got a little hard to watch. Ray rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched Danny and his boyfriend slow dance. Her eyes roamed over to where Scott and Allison were dancing. Allison had her head on Scott’s shoulder, and he was smiling with his eyes closed. Ray felt bad for being jealous of her brother and her best friend. She should be happy for them.

Maybe if she had just stayed home, she wouldn’t have that horrible feeling in her chest. She’d probably be wearing her biggest pair of sweats and eating popcorn to fill the time. No doubt she would have spent the night wondering what would have happened if she had gone to the dance, but at least it would be better than torturing herself like this. Everyone was having fun without her, just out of reach.

She didn’t move an inch when Stiles sat down in the fold out chair next to her. She could feel the sadness and anxiety bubbling around him, matching her own mood. Then something strange happened again. On the full moon, Ray had heard Lydia say something, but the redhead hadn’t actually spoken. It was as if she had heard her thoughts.

This time, it was distinctly Stiles’s voice in her head.

“ _She would never_.”

When this happened on the full moon, Ray assumed she had just imagined it. Now knowing that she was. . different. . she wondered if it really was Stiles’s thoughts she just head.

“Five year plan not going well?” Ray asked. She finally looked over at the boy to see him leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. He had ditched his suit jacket, and his plaid tie was slightly crooked. Ray didn’t think to fix it for him because it look kind of good like that.

“I gave up on that a while ago,” he said coldly.

“Then why agree to go on a date with her?”

“Because Allison said it would. . .-,” Stiles rubbed his hand over his head. “Never mind. I don’t know why I agreed.”

Ray looked back at the crowd of students, expecting to see Lydia and Jackson dancing somewhere in the crowd. Both seemed to be missing.

“Where is she anyway?” Ray asked.

“She went to go find Jackson.”

Ray’s heart sank to her stomach. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, Allison wouldn’t have set Stiles up on this date, and he wouldn’t be feeling so rejected. Her voice was quiet, like if she spoke too loud she might make things worse, “I’m sorry.”

“Honestly that’s not even what’s bothering me.”

Poor kid, he must have just been saying that.

Her hand patted his knee comfortingly, “She’ll come around. Want me to go find her for you?”

Stiles groaned and rubbed his face. “No.” Her hand recoiled back at his harsh tone.

“Want me to get you something to drink?”

“No.”

Her eyes flickered to the dance floor then to the boy next to her. He was glaring at all the dancing couples like she had been earlier. His knee was shaking like it often did when he felt like the room was starting to close in on him. Ray swore she could feel her heart beat even in the palms of her hands. She didn’t fester over the possible outcomes of what she was going to say next, she just did it.

“Want to dance with me?”

Stiles stared at her in disbelief. His lips slightly parted, but no words came out.

Ray mumbled, “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to make it weird, I just-“

Stiles suddenly stood up so fast the metal chair he was in toppled over. “Yes-yeah. Dance. Me with you. Yes.”

It was a slow song playing when she had asked him. She didn’t know what she had expected they would do, but Stiles’s hands immediately finding her hips the second they stepped onto the dance floor had not been a possibility that crossed her mind. Her brain seemed to short circuit. Her eyes glanced around at other dancers to see girls with their arms around their partner’s necks.

Right. Of course. That’s what she was supposed to be doing with her hands. She mimicked the other girls then made the mistake of looking at Stiles. He was so close she could count the faint little moles scattered across his nose. She would have actually counted them too if she thought her counting method would help her calm down, but she didn’t think it would work even if she counted to a million in this moment.

“You should take a picture,” Stiles said.

Ray blinked a couple times. How long had she been staring? Oh god. “W-what?”

“You know, cuz it’ll last longer.”

“Than your freckles?”

Both teens stopped dancing, freezing in place. Ray really needed to stop talking before thinking.

“Than my wha-“

“I think I need some air,” Ray said as she pulled away from the boy.

“Let me get my jacket! I’ll come with you!”

Her heels didn’t last long on their walk through the school. As she was taking them off, Stiles fumbled over his words, “Um, your ankle bracelet is uh-pretty.”

“Ankle bracelet?” Ray repeated with a laugh. “What am I, a prisoner?”

“Here I am trying to be nice and you’re being sarcastic.”

“Learned it from you,” she said with a wink. “And It’s called an anklet, by the way.”

“Okay, anklet, whatever. It’s pretty on you.”

The last two words of that made Ray’s breathing stop. On her?

“Are you still playing that game where you flirt with me to annoy me?”

“If I was flirting with you, I’d say you are that most beautiful girl at this dance, and that you could wear anything and make it look pretty,” Stiles said in a sarcastic tone. “But I’m not, so I won’t say that.”

The girl rolled her eyes and pushed open the front doors of the school. There didn’t seem to be a moon that night, or a cloud was covering it. Either way it seemed darker out than usual. Ray sat on the cool cement steps. Stiles sat next to her, close like always.

“Sheesh,” Ray said as she rubbed her arms. Stiles instantly put his jacket over her shoulders. She felt like there was something caught in her throat when she looked over at him to thank him.

Melissa’s voice was chanting in her head to use her words. What would she even say to him though? _Hey. . I’m down to ruin our friend group if you are._ That’s essentially what she would be doing. Changing everything. Risking everything.

“Can I ask you something?” They said in unison.

“You go first,” they both responded.

Ray couldn’t help but laugh. After all the butterflies she felt all night, it felt good to laugh it off. After she was done, she told the boy, “Really though, you can go first.”

“Scott said. .,” Stiles pauses and looked down at his hands. Ray’s eyes followed his line of sight. They seemed to be shaking, but that was probably just the ADHD, right?

Stiles finally continued, “He said you didn’t want Eddie to kiss you. Is that true?”

Ray nodded. “Yeah he-I don’t understand why the hell he did that.”

“Really? Because it makes sense to me,” Stiles told her.

“Just because we were friendly as coworkers does not mean I like him. He’s not my type.”

“What is your type?”

Ray’s eyes went wide for a second, but she grounded herself. “I believe it’s my turn to ask a question. . . Do you still like Lydia?”

Stiles let out a breath. “Definitely not. Nope. I’ve moved my five year plan on to someone new.”

The girl’s heart plummeted in her chest. Knowing Stiles his five year plan was for some totally unattainable, total 10/10 girl that would never give him the light of day, therefore didn’t deserve him. Ray would have to move on eventually. She didn’t have to ask what his type was to know she would never be it.

“Who’s this new girl?” Ray asked playfully, assuming he would name off some senior.

“I’m pretty sure it’s my turn to ask a question,” Stiles told her.

But his next question ever came. Jackson Whittemore stumbled up the school stairs and grabbed at Stiles’s shoulder. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. Ray stood and pulled the boy’s hand off of Stiles.

“Did Lydia ever find you?” Stiles asked as he stood to face Jackson properly.

Even after the attack at her work Jackson wasn’t this shaken up. Ray didn’t have a great feeling when she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I-I was out behind the school,” he started, “I was out and- and-

Stiles was growing impatient, “What happened? Jackson. What did you do?”

“The Argents know about Scott,” he said.

“Know, like know he’s the second beta?” Ray asked, her voice trembled.

“Did you tell them?” Stiles accused. He took a step towards Jackson with his fist clenched. Ray put her hand on his chest then stepped between the two. Now was not the time for a fist fight.

“They has guns!” Jackson said, “What the hell was I supposed to do?”

“Lie!” Stiles yelled. He took Ray’s hand and started leading her up the stairs. “We need to find Scotty. He was dancing with Allison when we left the gym.”

Ray planted herself on the step so that he couldn’t drag her. “What about Lydia!? Didn’t Scott say the alpha would be out tonight?”

“I’ll go warn Scott,” Jackson offered. He took a step up the stairs then almost fell back down them.

“Are you fucking drunk?” Stiles asked.

“I’m fine,” Jackson mumbled. “Trust me, I’m good.”

“Can you make it to the gym at least to find Scott?” Ray asked.

“Yes,” he insisted.

Ray and Stiles gave each other a dissatisfied look before sighing. Ray said, “I’ll go find Lydia. You go find Scott.”

Stiles interlocked their fingers and squeezed her hand. “I’m not letting you run around the school alone with hunters and the alpha out looking to kill.”

Jackson managed to make it up the stairs and into the school. If he could make it up the staircase, hopefully he was sober enough to make it to the gym in time.

“Okay,” Ray agreed. “Let’s go find Lydia.”

The two ran all over the entire school. Ray was feeling a sick sense of deja vu. Lydia hadn’t been in any of the bathrooms, at her locker or at Jackson’s. They checked the locker room then decided to check the lacrosse field before going back to the gym to see if she went back there.

All the lights for the field were on. Stiles and Ray picked up their pace. Two figures stood on the field. One was in a dress and facing them. The other was ten feet behind her.

“Lydia!” Ray screamed out. As she got closer, she realized she recognized the figure behind the redhead. Peter Hale.

“Lydia! Run!” Stiles yelled.

It was too late. Peter Hale grabbed Lydia and bared his teeth before they sunk deep into her shoulder. The girl let out a deafening scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Stiles giving Ray a flower and then her wearing it in her hair the whole rest of the day makes me want to scream into my pillow.  
> I went hiking today and didn’t realize I would be adding so much to this chapter tonight. I turned 5k words into 7k for no reason other than I can’t seem to shut up. Oops?


	12. Insanity

Stiles made it to Lydia and Peter first, sliding along the grass like he was desperate to make it to home plate. Ray collapsed onto the grass behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle to pull him away from Peter. The werewolf was leaning over Lydia’s body with his claws fluttering over her skin. He brushed her hair red out of the way to expose the skin along her neck and chest as if he was getting ready to slash it.

“Don't kill her. Please,” Stiles begged as thunderclouds boomed overhead.

Peter smiled devilishly. His hand moved to clasp around Lydia’s neck. Ray suddenly released Stiles then lunged forward herself. The boy had to hold her back like she had just held him.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Ray screamed. A bolt of lightning hit the metal stands, causing a blinding flash of light followed by a burning smell.

Peter’s eyes lit up like she had just gifted him something magical. “I thought something was different about you in the locker room.”

Rain started to put down on the four. Ray could feel her anger spiraling out of control. If Stiles wasn’t holding her back, her hands would be around Peter’s neck. The werewolf grazed a single digit along Lydia’s collarbone, leaving a scratch that looked like nothing in comparison to the giant bite mark gouged into her side.

The action was enough to set Ray off the edge. She screamed out in rage as another bolt of lightning crashed onto the field, just ten feet from Peter and Lydia.

Poor Stiles was struggling to keep ahold of the girl. She nearly slipped from his grasp when he caught sight of her face.

“Your eyes,” he said in astonishment.

Ray stiffened and looked at the boy in fear.

“She didn’t tell you?” Peter guessed. “Makes sense. One shouldn’t be proud to be a sea witch. Retched, ugly little things.”

The way he had said the word witch sounded like it was some horrible slur. Ray seethed, “Don’t fucking call me that.”

“Would you rather be called a siren?” Peter offered. He gave her a sarcastic pitiful look. “No? Don’t tell me you go by that pathetic storybook name.”

“What is he talking about, Ray?” Stiles whispered. He moved a piece of her shopping wet hair so that he could read her expression.

“She’s a mermaid, Stiles,” Peter said.

The werewolf’s hand grazed over the soft skin of Lydia’s cheek. The thunderclouds over head shook the whole field as Ray slammed her fist down into the mud. Stiles jumped back from the noise, simultaneously releasing Ray. She lunged at Peter who easily deflected her attack then slammed her onto the ground, her back in the mud and the wind knocked out of her. It felt like she had been hit by a car.

“Don’t hurt her,” Stiles’s voice was barely audible over the rain pouring down on them.

“Of course not,” Peter said as he held Ray down in the mud. “Just tell me how to find Derek.”

“W-what?”

“Don’t tell him anything!” Ray screamed out. Peter tightened his grip around her neck, warning her to shut up.

He spoke slowly to the boy, emphasizing every word, “Tell me how to find Derek Hale.”

“I don't know that. How would I know that?” His voice started to get an octave higher. He was panicking.

Ray kicked wildly at Peter’s chest, but he was unfazed and continued talking to Stiles, “Because you're the clever one, aren't you? And because deception has a particularly acrid scent, Stiles. Tell me the truth-,” his claws began to lightly puncture Ray’s neck. “-or I will rip her apart.”

“Look, look, I don't know, okay? I sw-,” Stiles’s eyes met Ray’s, “-I swear to god, I have no idea.”

“Tell me!” Peter’s voice boomed across the field, louder than the speakers that would announce the games.

“Okay, okay, okay, look, I think he knew-“

“Knew what?”

“Derek, I think he-I think he knew he was gonna be caught.”

“By the Argents?”

“Yeah,” he said shakily. His eyes flickered over to Lydia who was still passed out and bleeding profusely.

“And?”

“When they were shot, he and Scott- I think he took Scott's phone.”

“Why?”

“They all have GPS now. So if he still has it and if it's still on. . you can find him.”

Peter released Ray’s neck. She scrambled back over to Stiles and clutched onto his dress shirt. The boy wrapped his arms around her and brought her head to his chest. It didn’t last long.

Peter stood then dragged Stiles up by the collar of his shirt. “You are tracking it for me.”

Ray crawled over to Lydia’s body and started to put pressure on the girl’s side. If only she had taken that CPR class already. In two days she would have the knowledge of what to do in this situation. Now all she could do was put pressure on the wound and hope an ambulance would make it in time.

“No,” Stiles said firmly, “I'm not just letting you leave them here.”

Peter growled. “You don't have a choice, Stiles. You're coming with me.”

“It’s okay, Stiles,” Ray told him.

“Do you have your phone?” Stiles asked. Ray shook her head no, so Stiles handed her his.

“How am I going to be able to find you if you don’t have it?” Ray’s voice cracked.

“I’ll be okay,” Stiles told her. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Don’t go,” Ray begged. She knew it was irrational. Peter wasn’t going to let him stay. “Don’t go, please, Stiles, don’t.”

Stiles took a step in her direction like he was going to sit down next to her, but Peter pulled the boy back from his shirt.

“Enough of this teen drama,” Peter said as he dragged the boy off the field.

Ray’s bloody hand kept slipping on the screen as she searched through Stiles’s contact list. Scott didn’t have his phone, so she called the only person she could think of in the area that knew about all that was going on, Jackson. He was on the way in an instant, calling for an ambulance as he ran over.

“She’s bleeding out,” Jackson told the dispatcher as he collapsed next to Lydia’s body. His free hand immediately went to add pressure on top of Ray’s in hopes of stopping the bleeding. “I don’t know what it was-a mountain lion or something I don’t know. It’s a huge bite.”

Thunder exploded loudly above them as Ray wept over Lydia’s figure. Once Jackson hung up the phone, he picked up Lydia’s body and cradled it in his arms.

“They said to meet them at the front of the school,” he explained before running off.

Ray searched for her shoes in the mud then stood up, still carrying them in her hand so that she could run across the muddy field. Stiles’s phone felt heavy in his jacket pocket. The extra weight and his jacket both being a constant reminder that he was gone. There was no way for her to check if he was okay.

Once Peter was done using him, what would he do? Peter wanted Scott to kill his pack. Would he kill Stiles to start the process? Would he try turning Stiles to grow his own pack?

The ambulance didn’t let Ray or Jackson ride with them. Ray threw her heels in the basket of her bike then begrudgingly got on. Jackson stood in front of her bike, his hands awkwardly in his jacket pockets, probably trying to hide the blood on them from himself. Both he and Ray looked like they had just butchered someone.

“You aren’t seriously going to bike the whole way there, are you?” He asked.

“We have to make sure she is okay,” Ray told him, “And we need to find out if she is turning from the bite.”

“I’ll drive you,” Jackson insisted.

“You’ve been drinking,” she reminded him. “I’m not trying to die tonight.”

Jackson sighed then took his keys out of his pocket. “Then you drive.” The keys felt like diamonds in her hands. Ray couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of the porche.

After an hour of being in the hospital hallway, staring at Lydia through a window as her mother cried over her was starting to get tiresome. Ray was scared for her friends life, but part of her was also scared for her friend’s mom. What would happen to Lydia’s mom if Lydia suddenly started turning? Would Lydia wake up and attack her own mother? Hopefully not. Its not a full moon.

All the worries were starting to make Ray light headed. She had no way of contacting Scott. Allison wasn’t answering her calls, probably because she was reading Stiles’s name on the caller ID and choosing to ignore him. Stiles was . . wherever the hell Peter took him. Dead maybe.

Seemingly out of nowhere her knees gave in. Luckily Jackson was standing next to her and able to help her to a nearby chair. He looked terrified of her, probably because he knew there was nothing he could say to stop her from panicking.

“We should take a break and grab some water from the kitchen,” he offered. “Just standing here is kinda fucking with me too. I can’t- I can’t help her from this side of the glass.”

Ray agreed. A change of scenery would do them both good, even if that change was just switching out these four hospital walls for a different set.

The kitchen area was smaller than she expected. She took a seat at one of the empty tables. Only one other table was occupied with three employees in green scrubs. They were eating from lunch pails and laughing like there wasn’t a teenage girl dying a few halls away.

Jackson sat down at the table with tiny plastic cups of water for Ray and himself. He watch in amazement as Ray chugged her cup in record speed. He handed her his full cup and took her empty one.

“Guess you really needed that,” he mumbled as he got up to refill the other cup.

When he came back, Ray asked, “Do you think Peter will kill. .”

“Stiles?” Jackson snorted. He was probably thinking that he would of given the chance. “No, no I think Stiles can talk his way out of anything.”

“Yeah,” Ray mumbled, “Hope so. .”

The tears were back again. She had that huge lump in her throat that made it hard to breathe. Her fist held so tight around her necklace that her knuckles were white.

Jackson glanced at her hand then asked, “You really like that idiot, don’t you?”

“No,” Ray said stubbornly.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Alright fine. Lemme say it this way. . . You really love him, don’t you?”

Ray must have looked like a fish out of water with how many times she opened her mouth to deny it, but nothing came out. The way Jackson was smirking at her was unsettling.

“We’re friends. Just friends. I don’t-I’m not in love with him. That’s insane.” she said. It was true, too. They were friends when they were kids. In recent years he had annoyed her relentlessly. ., but she still cared for him like a friend would.

“Friends,” Jackson repeated as if he didn’t believe her.

“In case you didn’t notice, he has a huge crush on Lydia.”

“He did last year, that’s for sure,” Jackson agreed. “But he hasn’t been bothering her too much lately.”

“He took her to the dance,” Ray deadpanned.

“Only because Allison told him it would make you jealous.”

Ray rolled her eyes at that statement. “Allison would never. .-,” her voice trailed off. She thought back to how Allison presented the idea of Stiles taking Lydia to her. Then she thought of what Stiles had started saying at the dance about why he took Lydia.

She sipped on her water and glared at nothing in particular. Jackson stood up from his chair and said he was going to go back out to the window again. Ray finished her water then followed him out.

Was Allison really so adamant about Ray liking Stiles that she devised a plan to make Ray jealous and realize she liked him? That seemed a bit absurd. It’s Allison. She’s sweet and innocent. She wouldn’t manipulate two people into going on a date just to make a third person jealous. Would she?

No, definitely not. It seems a little evil and excessive. Allison wasn’t capable of being evil.

They hadn’t been standing at the window long when something broke their focus from the redhead.

“You know what?” The sheriff’s voice raised as he talked to someone. “It's good that we're in a hospital, because I'm gonna kill you.”

Ray and Jackson both turned to see who he was yelling at. Ray expected to see Peter or Derek based on the sheriff’s threatening tone, but thankfully it wasn’t either of them. She shoved Jackson out of the way as she sprinted toward the boy who just arrived. His cheeks were red from being out in the cold, and he looked winded.

“Stiles,” she cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck like when they were dancing, but this time she got closer and never wanted to let go. She came at him with such a force that he almost toppled over. His hands flew to her waist at first to steady her, then he wrapped his arms completely around her. He held her so tight he almost picked her up off the ground.

The sheriff cleared his throat to remind the two teens he was still there and needed answers.

Stiles had to smooth down Ray’s hair so that it wasn’t in his face when he spoke, “I'm-I'm sorry. I lost the keys to my jeep. I had to run all the way here.”

“Stiles, I don't care!” His father yelled.

Ray finally pulled away from Stiles. She crossed her arms and glared at the sheriff. “Well I do,” she seethed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa-,” Stiles tugged on her arm to get them to uncross while he awkwardly laughed. “-let’s not piss off my dad anymore than he already is.”

The sheriff didn’t look angry, in fact he seemed flabbergasted and slightly impressed she had the nerve to talk to him like that. She continued to stare down the grown man with a gun until he shook his head.

“Teenagers,” he mumbled under his breath.

Stiles finally noticed the window leading to Lydia’s room. She was all bandaged up with machines surrounding her.

“Is she gonna be okay?”

His dad sighed. “They don't know, partially because they don't know what happened. She lost a lot of blood, but there's something else going on with her.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles looked to Ray in fear, no doubt wondering if Lydia was turning into a werewolf right before their eyes.

“The doctors say it's like she's having an allergic reaction. Her body keeps going into shock.” The sheriff turn to the two kids. “Did either of you see anything? I mean, do you have any idea who or what attacked her?”

Ray shook her head and looked down while Stiles replied, “No. No, I have no idea.”

“What about Scott?”

“What do you mean? What about him?”

“Did he see anything?”

“What do you-,” Stiles looked around the hospital, “-is he not here?”

“What are you talking about? I've been calling him on his cell phone. I've gotten no response.”

“Yeah, you're not gonna get one.”

“He doesn’t have a phone at the moment,” Ray explained.

The sheriff pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course. . Of course he doesn’t because when does he ever keep track of that thing? Right, well, if you guys hear anything else about this at all, call me immediately.”

As soon as the sheriff was out of earshot, Ray asked Stiles, “Where’s your jeep?”

He pulled his keys from his pocket. Every one of them was bent nearly in half.

“Oh shit,” she mumbled as she touched one. Her eyes didn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Yeah, no shit.” He shoved the keys back in his pocket. “I’m gonna go find out how much my dad knows about all this. Just stay here, alright?”

Ray took a step towards him. “Stay here? You expect me to stay here after all that?” As if she was going to let him out of her sight after Peter took him.

“Yes! It’s gonna be hard getting my dad to say anything if you challenge him to a western duel every time he raises his voice at me. So yeah! Stay here.”

Jackson was doing a bad job of holding in laughter when Ray stormed back over to him. She crossed her arms and glared at the window, feeling like she had just been sent to timeout like a child.

“Why are you so chummy?” She grumbled.

“Just flashing back to the words, ‘I’m not in love with him. That’s insane.’”

“What, I can’t hug my friend? You and Danny hug sometimes. .”

“Not like that.”

If Jackson was starting to notice Ray’s actions, it would only be a matter of time before other people started to see through her. Scott was already on to her, but Scott knowing didn’t worry her as bad as Stiles knowing. Usually Stiles was always a few steps ahead of everyone when it came to figuring things out. Ray would have to be extra careful from here on out. That is, unless she wanted Stiles to figure it out.

“I figured it out,” the voice of the boy in question was breathless as he jogged up behind her and Jackson.

Ray nearly choked on the breath she was taking in. Had she been thinking out loud?

“Figured what out?” Jackson sounded like it was painful for him to even ask. He rolled his eyes at Stiles.

“Kate started the Hale fire. Peter was on his way to save Derek from her when he left. We have to go find Scott.”

Oh, thank god, just another werewolf mystery. Stiles took Ray’s hand in his, interlocking their fingers. He guided her down the hospital hallway with haste. Jackson kept up with their quick pace, even following them into the elevator. Stiles pressed the button for the ground floor. His jaw was stiff as Jackson stepped forward to stand next to Ray.

Jackson broke the tense silence in the elevator by saying, “You don't have a car.”

“I'm aware of that. Thank you,” Stiles bit back.

“I’ll drive you guys,” Jackson offered.

Stiles’s free hand hit the wall of the elevator. Ray and Jackson both jumped. He pointed his finger accusingly at Jackson. “Look, just because you feel guilty all of a sudden doesn't make it okay, all right? Half of this is still your fault.”

“Stiles,” Ray said as she squeezed his hand. “He has a car and is offering us a ride.”

There was silence until the elevator dinged and the three teens stepped out. Stiles was still pulling Ray along, trying to get away from Jackson. Jackson was persistent, staying on Ray’s heels. He put his hand on the girl’s shoulder to grab her attention. Stiles gave him a deadly glare then stopped in the middle of the busy hallway to face the Junior.

“You are the one who told the hunters about Scott, and hours later you offer to help save him?” Stiles said, almost getting in Jackson’s face of Ray hadn’t squished herself between the two boys. She was used to Stiles getting hotheaded and having to protect him from himself. He just wasn’t usually holding her hand while doing so. The stakes for everything felt like that had been multiplied by a hundred.

“Do you want my help or not?” Jackson fired back, sounding like he was losing his patience.

Ray let go of the boy’s hand to shove his chest lightly. “Just give us a sec, Jackson.” Jackson backed off and leaned against a wall as Ray lead Stiles to the other side of the hallway. Ray whispered to Stiles, “We aren’t going to find Scott on foot.”

“We don’t need to find him,” Stiles whispered back, “I already know where he is.”

“Great, well is he in fucking walking distance? Because if not, Jackson is our only chance at getting to him!”

Stiles stomped his foot like a child. He knew Ray was right, but seeing Lydia in that hospital bed made him hate Jackson more than he ever had before. If he didn’t direct some of the blame and hatred toward Jackson, it would all be put on himself. He was Lydia’s date to the dance. Even though she went looking for Jackson, Stiles should have looked after her. He failed.

The boy closed his eyes and took a breath. He tried to tell himself that this was just an explosive episode from his ADHD and that his ADHD was not in control of him. He could control his own emotions and think clearly. He had to. Now wasn’t the time to act out just because he was feeling the pressure.

Ray swore she could sense his emotions teeter back and forth between an intense anger, regret and hopelessness. She was surprised she could feel them change since the last times she had only been able to feel one intense emotion. Her hand cupped his cheek, causing his eyes to flash open. Ray’s nerves got to her, causing her to instantly take her hand away. It dropped to her side as she spoke.

“Please don’t see red right now. After all this is over, you can go back to hating Jackson, but for now, he is offering help that we need.”

Stiles nodded to Jackson across the hall. He called out, “Did you bring the Porsche?” Jackson dug his keys out of his pocket. Stiles snatched them from his grasp and continued, “Good. I'll drive.”

“Kids,” a voice called out to them, giving Ray chills. The three turned to face Chris Argent. Two abnormally buff looking men told behind him like security. The hunter said, “I was wondering if you can tell me where Scott McCall is.”

“Scott McCall? Uhm, haven't seen him since the dance. What ‘bout you, Ray?” Stiles asked as he elbowed her.

“Gee I guess I haven’t. Sheriff was wondering where he was too. Jackson, you?”

Jackson looked like a deer caught in headlights. “I-“ The friendly demeanor from Chris and his goons immediately dropped.

Stiles threw up his hands in frustration, not being able to stop his outburst, “Oh, for the love of God-“

The two big men each grabbed a boy, shoving them into an empty hospital room. Chris grabbed onto Ray’s upper arm and threw her into the room after the boys. She stumbled forward in her heels. Jackson held her up, causing Stiles to take a step toward them. Chris held Stiles back then shoved him against the door.

“Let's try this again. Where is Scott McCall?” Chris demanded.

“Don’t touch him,” Ray growled. One of the men pulled her away from Jackson to hold her back. The other man grabbed Jackson’s arms and held them behind his back roughly.

“He was still at the dance when we left,” Stiles insisted. He didn’t back down despite how close Chris was getting to his face.

“Let me ask you a question, Stiles. Have you ever seen a rabid dog?”

“No. I could put it on my to-do-list, if you just let me go.”

“Well, I have,” Chris said as she pushed Stiles harder against the door. “And the only thing I've ever been able to compare it to is seeing a friend of mine turn on a full moon. Do you wanna know what happened?”

“Not really. No offense to your storytelling skills,” Stiles quipped.

Of course, Chris continued anyway, “He tried to kill me, and I was forced to put a bullet in his head. The whole while that he lay there dying, he was still trying to claw his way toward me, still trying to kill me, like it was the most important thing he could do with his last breath. Can you imagine that?”

“No. And it sounds like you need to be a little bit more selecti-“

Chris shoved Stiles harder against the door. Ray kicked her heel against the shin of the man who was holding her. He growled in pain, but he only tightened his grip.

“Did Scott try to kill you on the full moon? Did you have to lock him up?” Chris demanded.

“Yeah, I did. I had to handcuff him to a radiator. Why? Would you prefer I locked him in the basement and burned the whole house down around him?”

“I hate to dispel a popular rumor, Stiles, but we never did that.”

“Oh, right. Derek said you guys had a code. I guess no one ever breaks it.”

“Never.”

“What if someone does?”

“Someone like who?”

“Your sister.”

The two goons looked at each other in shock. Ray took that moment to dig her heel into the man’s foot. He shoved her off of himself, effectively releasing her. Chris stepped away from Stiles with a look of realization on his face. Ray moves between the two, facing the Hunter with harsh eyes.

“Maybe you should go check on your own family before attacking us,” she said lowly.

Surprising everyone, Chris nodded at her words. He turned to the man holding Jackson and said to let him go. Jackson stumbled forward and rubbed at his bad shoulder.

Once the three hunters left, the teens were more determined than ever to work together. Stiles seemed to realize that Jackson wasn’t their biggest enemy of the night. They calmly devised a plan to break into the school and make a few Molotov Cocktails so that they didn’t pull up on the fight against Peter and Kate empty handed.

A lightning bolt struck down on the street a hundred yards ahead of them, immediately followed by a thundering boom that shook Jackson’s car. Stiles lost control of the wheel for a second as the car hydroplaned. All three teens let out a scream as Stiles scrambled to get back control of the car. Ray’s clammy hands held tightly on the two Molotov Cocktails they had just broke into the chemistry classroom to make. If she dropped on, it’d ignite the whole car.

“Oh my god, okay,” Stiles said as he got control of the vehicle. He pulled over then looked at Ray in the backseat. “Are you doing this?!”

“D-doing what?”

“This!” Stiles’s gestured all around. “The storm! I can’t see the road!”

“I-I don’t know,” she admitted.

“What the hell are you talking about, Stilinski?” Jackson seethed. “She can’t control the weather.”

Stiles hit the steering wheel. The rain was pouring down so hard they Ray could barely hear the car’s horn. “Apparently she fucking can! Peter said she’s some sort of witch-“

“Don’t call me that!” Ray screamed. She nearly dropped a cocktail.

“Okay that’s it!,” Jackson said as he reached into the back seat, “Give me those fire bomb things.”

She happily handed him the death traps, feeling better now that the pressure wasn’t on her. The rain started to clear up slightly. Stiles turned around to face her again.

“Seriously? What are you scared or something?”

“Of course I’m scared, Stiles! You’re driving like a hundred miles and hour and if we crash the car is going to instantly IGNITE. We’re on our way to fight an alpha freaking werewolf who wants us dead!”

There was a loud thunder up ahead that shook the whole car. Jackson looked at Ray like she had three heads.

“Y-you’re eyes,” Jackson stuttered.

Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can’t you just-just do that counting thing you do when you’re freaking out.”

“What am I supposed to count!”

“Anything! I don’t know! But figure it out before we get there because we won’t be able to set Peter on fire if it’s pouring down rain!”

Another bolt of lightning struck down closer to the car this time.

“I don’t think yelling at her is helping!” Jackson said.

The girl tried counting her fingers, but the green scales on her hands and wrists were only making her panic more. She let out a whimper. The mascara she was wearing mixed with her tears, causing them to sting. Stupid. She felt so stupid for crying and panicking and making this all harder than it had to be, but she was just so exhausted and scared and-

“Are you crying?” Stiles asked.

“No.” Ray tried to wipe away her tears, but more makeup got in her eyes and now they burned like hell.

“There’s no crying!” Stiles told her, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

A breathy laugh escaped between her sobs. The rain started to let up enough to actually see down the street. Jackson looked between the two like they were insane.

“Are you. .,” Jackson wondered, “Are you quoting that Tom Hanks baseball movie to her?”

“It’s her favorite movie,” Stiles explained quietly.

Ray tried to blink away the painful tears. Her breath got caught in her chest when she looked up to see Stiles who was almost completely turned around in his seat at this point, giving her his full attention. The rain was barely a drizzle when he smiled at her.

“Seems like she’s good now, so can we go?” Jackson asked, sounding bored.

After a few minutes of speeding down the road, Stiles pulled off of it into the muddy path leading up to the Hale house.

Jackson clutched onto the fire bombs and the car bounced. He looked like he was about to shit his pants as he said, “Hey, hey, hey. This isn't exactly an all-terrain vehicle!”

Stiles scoffed, “Oh yeah? Did you pay for it?”

“No.”

“Then shut up,” he growled as the car skidded to a stop in the mud.

Stiles grabbed a cocktail from Jackson then hopped out of the drivers seat before Ray could even beg for him to stop. The Alpha stood tall, and it’s glowing red gaze cause Ray’s chest to freeze up. It looked their direction then let out a guttural roar that gave both her and Jackson goosebumps. Stiles sent the bomb flying towards the beast, but it caught the trap.

The Alpha raised the cocktail, ready to throw it back at Stiles and the porche. Ray screamed and scrambled over the center console into the front seat, but before she could get out, an arrow was show at the beast. It his the cocktail, setting the creatures entire arm ablaze. Jackson hopped out of the car next and threw the second one at the alpha, hitting him directly in the chest.

Ray had to hold onto the door for support as she stepped out of the porche because her heels suck into the mud. Everyone watched in awe at the beast flung around wildly, lighting up the forest. It roared and charged toward Allison, but Scott kicked it across the yard.

The beast screeched out in pain. It started to finish in size until all that was left was Peter’s charred body. He collapsed to the forest floor, seemingly dead.

Stiles walked backwards until he was at the driver’s side door of the porche. His hand swiped nervously over his fresh buzzcut he had gotten for the dance. When Allison clutched down to kiss Scott in his wolfed out form, Stiles glanced to his right at Ray. Her eyes were on Derek Hale who was stumbling toward his dying uncle. She nudged Stiles to grab his attention, not knowing she already had it.

Scott broke away from Allison when he noticed what Derek was doing. He begged Derek not to kill Peter because Scott hoped that if he killed Peter himself, the werewolf curse would be lifted. Derek raised his claws, not caring what Scott wanted. He slashed his uncle’s throat, ending the man’s life. The sound of blood gurgling from Peter’s mouth made Ray feel sick.

Ray had to close her eyes and turn away. Stiles wrapped his arms around her and let her tuck her head into his chest. She wasn’t shy in Stiles’s embrace. Instead she felt safe in his arms in that moment. He was protecting her from everything, even the chilling words Derek left them with.

“I’m the Alpha now.”

What that meant for their group, Ray did not know. She feared that all Alphas were like Peter, giant uncontrollable beasts. There was a part of her that wanted to believe Derek wouldn’t do the same things his uncle did, that he would be a good Alpha.

All Ray could do was hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I post this chapter with a heavy heart. I’m sure all of you heard of the current state of America by now since multiple other countries have shown their support. If this chapter is not well edited, please forgive me. I spent more time protesting and advocating this week than I expected.  
> Black Lives Matter!
> 
> On a light note, I went back to work this week at a salon. Things are strange with the masks, my hands are raw from washing and sanitizing, but I am beyond happy to be back to work. It’s like my life has purpose again, which is a little dark to say but ohhhh man if I wasn’t writing this story in quarantine. . I don’t know where I would be. Being able to make people happy at work is more fulfilling than it ever was before.
> 
> Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read this week’s post! What little time I spent working on this chapter this week was greatly appreciated. This story was my little escape from reality. I hope reading it was that for you as well.
> 
> If you have any helpful educational links for the Black Lives Matter Movement, I would love for you to comment them down below! I will leave a comment with a few of my own that I found.
> 
> STAY SAFE!!!! Drink plenty of water this week!


	13. Trophy

Saturday morning Ray and her mother stopped by the hospital with a bouquet of flowers for Lydia before going to the grocery store. Doctors were meeting with Lydia and her parents at the time, so Ray had to leave the flowers at the nursing station. Later that afternoon, Scott invited Ray to visit Lydia with him and Stiles. She jumped at a second chance to visit her friend and was even more excited when Stiles asked her if she wanted to go to his place and do homework after.

The fact that Stiles still wanted to hang out with Ray after what happened last night on the field was good news, amazing news, actually. After her abilities being outed, she thought Stiles would run for the hills, hell, she would have. She didn’t even know she could control the weather with her emotions like that until Peter pushed her over the edge.

They were already at the hospital when Ray was informed they were not there to visit with Lydia. Because of course, they never inform Ray of the real plan until it’s already in motion. The boys thought it was necessary to check Lydia’s bite mark to see if it was healing. Ray found the whole ordeal a bit ludicrous, but when did their ideas ever make logical sense.

Scott stopped Stiles just as he and Ray made it to Lydia’s room number and said, “Stay here and make sure no one comes in.”

The boy’s shoulders dropped. “Why do I always have to be the one on watch?”

Ray sighed then leaned against the wall in front of the door. There wasn’t time to have this argument now. They had to do this ridiculous check in on Lydia before they were caught by a doctor or nurse or literally anyone walking by with enough brain cells to question why they were looking under the bandage on a sleeping patients side.

“I’ll stay out here,” she offered happily. She wasn’t too keen on seeing blood anyway.

Stiles put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. “You are the _best_.”

Scott tugged Stiles into the hospital room as Ray chuckled and said, “Just be quick.”

In an attempt to be quiet, Stiles ever so slowly shut door to Lydia’s hospital room. Ray cringed at the squeaking of the door hinge. Luckily the doctor speeding by did not notice the boy’s odd behavior. As soon as the door was shut, Ray felt like she could breathe, but her calmness did not last long. A man looking to be in his forties with strawberry blonde hair stopped right next to her.

He smiled and asked, “Are you here to see Lydia?”

“Yeah! My friends are in there right now, and a nurse told us not to all go in at once so that we don’t overwhelm her, so I’m just waiting my turn,” Ray said as she pointed to the closed door. “Are you her dad?”

“Yes, I’m Jed. It’s so nice of you guys to come by and visit Lydia. What was your name?”

“I’m Ray, and my friends in there are-,” the boys in question barreled out of the hospital room looking pale and very suspicious, “Scott and Stiles. Hey guys! Perfect timing. This is Lydia’s _dad_.”

“Hello,” Scott said warmly as he shook the man’s hand. Stiles offered the guy awkward wave.

“So Lydia said she is tired and decided to take a nap,” Stiles told Ray.

“Oh well, maybe I can catch her tomorrow after my CPR class. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Martin!”

The boys waited until they got to the parking lot out front to tell Ray about Lydia. She wasn’t healing, which meant she wasn’t turning. Or at least, she wasn’t turning into a werewolf. The bite hadn’t killed her, which meant she had to be something, right?

“Maybe she is like you, Ray,” Stiles said without thinking.

“What do you mean?” Scott asked.

“Oh shit,” Stiles mumbled under his breath.

Ray took a deep breath before trying to explain “I-I recently found out on my birthday, well, it happened on my birthday-“

“Oh so you knew for two whole weeks and didn’t say anything, nice,” Stiles said.

“I didn’t know! I didn’t believe it was even real at first! I thought I dreamt the whole thing up,” Ray admitted. She ran a hand through her hair then looked back to Scott. “I’m- I get it from my dad’s side of the family. I’m something called a sea nymph.”

“A mermaid,” Stiles added excitedly.

“Sort of,” Ray responded. “It’s like a mermaid, I think. I actually know nothing about it.”

Scott leaned against the hood of his mom’s car. He rubbed his face an took a moment to process everything. Ray expected him to be mad for keeping something from her, but all he said was, “Does your mom know?”

“I think, but she won’t admit it. My grandparents know too, or at least they knew about my dad.”

“Is that why they were arguing on your birthday?”

Ray’s head hung low. “Yeah. They asked her about me and she wouldn’t admit it.”

Scott wrapped his arms around Ray. “Family can suck, but you have me and my mom right next door if you ever need to get away.”

“And you have me,” Stiles interjected and put his hand on the girl’s shoulder.

Scott’s eyes caught the watch on Stiles’s wrist. “Shit, is that really the time?” He released Ray then checked his phone. “No, no, no! I’m supposed to meet Allison at the reserve in like six minutes!”

“Ew,” Ray said as she scrunched up her nose.

“Ew?” Stiles repeated.

“Yes, ew. You know what they do at the reserve, right? Nasty ass teenagers.” Ray grabbed backpack from Scott’s back seat then said, “Wrap it up, Scotty!”

“You’ll give her a ride home?” Scott asked Stiles.

“Oh course, dude. We were going to study anyways, right Ray?”

“That’s why I brought my backpack,” Ray said with a shrug.

An hour later, the pen in Ray’s hand was nearing the end of it’s life from all the doodling. Instead of leaving a trail of green ink, the lines paper of her notebook was simply being indented with what would be a lifelike depiction of waves crashing against a rock. The inkless picture on the bottom right corner of her math homework reminded her of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The ghost of a memory. . . She had seen that rock somewhere before. Perhaps a movie? Someone else’s artwork?

The boy whose bed she was lounging on groaned from his desk chair. He face planted into his open Advanced Math Honors textbook as he wished he was doing literally anything else. Ray could feel the frustration radiating off him, and she couldn’t blame him. Their teacher giving them homework the weekend of a school dance was completely absurd.

“Have you gotten number 17?” His voice was muffled by the book.

Ray blinked a few times and glanced around her paper, searching for the answer in question, “Uh. . . 48 degrees?”

“So, not negative three?”

“How can an angle of a triangle be negative. . . Do you need a break, bud?”

“I just. . . How can I focus on a stupid isosceles triangle when you are a mermaid and didn’t tell me?!”

The girl’s hand instinctively reached up to grab her stone necklace. She knew this conversation was bound to happen, but she still didn’t know where to begin. Even Ray herself didn’t have answers to things. Her dad wasn’t answering her phone calls, and her mom was avoiding the truth. The only person to explain anything was Jayden, and all he said was that their dad was a sea nymph, and that their mom left him when she found out.

Ray shook her pen in hopes of getting the ink back. She finished her ghost of a picture of the waves then looked up at her friend. He looked hurt that she had kept something so big from him, which was understandable. With everything they went through with Scotty, it’s not like Stiles and Scott wouldn’t have been supportive and tried to help. .

“Well. . Like I said earlier, apparently I get it from my dad, but he isn’t answering my calls and. . . My mom is pretending like it isn’t true. I’m just. . I honestly feel like it isn’t true, so I felt weird talking about it. I don’t have answers to probably all of the questions you might have.”

“Well,” Stiles pulled a pile of printed papers out of his desk drawer, “I do have answers. For instance,” He shuffled through the papers until he came across the right one, “Your scales are green because you live near a lake. There are lots of different types of mermaids depending on where they live, lake, rivers, ocean, deep ocean. . .” Stiles shivered and showed Ray a picture of a frightening creature with fangs, glowing eyes and deep blue, almost black, scales.

Ray got up from the boy’s bed to stand next to him at the desk as he shuffled through the hours of research he did. She remembered how much sleep he lost when they were trying to figure out werewolves for Scott. The way he sorted through papers to find the facts he thought were cool or that he wanted to test . . . Ray couldn’t help but smile.

“-and mermaids can survive in areas that aren’t by the ocean as long as there is a natural body of water big enough to-“

“Stiles,” she interrupted him, “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Not really. . . I’ve just been. . . I just wanted to understand it so that I could help and- oh god, is this stuff all bogus? I tried to find credible sources but mermaids are kind of a vast topic across a lot of cultures. . .”

Ray plucked a page of lined notebook paper out of the pile of printer paper. Stiles had taken haphazard, barely legible little clusters of notes that seemed to be randomly spread out on the sheet, some clusters even bleeding into the margin. “doesn’t have fangs-“, “glowing eyes”, “can she control???”

“This is way more detailed than what I was able to find.” Her hand played with her necklace as she read through some of the things he wrote about her.

“And that’s Aquamarine.”

“What?”

Stiles pointed at her necklace. “The necklace you said your dad gave you. It’s aquamarine. Used to uh-“ he shuffled through his notes to find a printed screenshot of a blog that he had highlighted sections out of. “-‘sooth mermaids out of the water, giving them a sense of peace. It also slows down the dehydration process-‘ Oh, by the way, you dehydrate quicker than humans. Have you had anything to drink recently? Oh! It also is said to enhance your psychic abilities! Can you read minds?”

Ray couldn’t hold in her snort. “Of course, dude. I’ve been reading yours all day.” She couldn’t keep up the lie for long because the terrified look on her friend’s face was too priceless not to bust up laughing at. “I’m kidding you big dork. I’m pretty sure I don’t have psychic abilities, just some odd encounters with being able to tell what people are feeling. But, you were right about one thing, the necklace does make me feel calm to wear it. Guess I’m not totally crazy for feeling that way.”

The two organized all the papers back together to free back up the boy’s desk. She helped him find the right answer for number 17 then read a passage about river mermaids while he finished the assignment. Ray couldn’t believe the stuff she was reading. Her own family didn’t want to tell her about who she was, but Stiles spent hours researching about it for her without even her asking.

Her mother texted her that she was waiting outside to pick her up. It was a little odd since Ray hadn’t asked for a ride home, but she wasn’t going to make her mother wait. She gathered up her backpack, but left all of the boy’s research on his desk, saying they’d read more of it together another time.

Stiles was hyperfocused in on his math homework now, not really registering that his friend was heading home until she gave him a kiss on the cheek that completely derailed his train of thought.

“See you tomorrow, Stilinki!” She called to him, already halfway down his stairs before the boy came to terms with what just happened.

Outside in the driveway, Ray couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her grandmother sat in the passenger seat of her mother’s minivan. It was surprising that the two women could be in an enclosed space for more than a minute without lighting something on fire, but it was even stranger to see her grandmother when it wasn’t a holiday or a birthday.

Ray slid open the van’s side door and hopped in. The two women in the front seat did not look back at her to greet her. The worn, carpeted middle row felt like it was a jail cell. After bucking the twisted up seatbelt, Ray dared to ask, “Did something happen?”

“I think it is time you learn why your abuelo left Mexico,” her abuela said.

Her mother pulled out of the Stilinski’s driveway carefully. She began driving in the opposite direction of their home, seemingly to make the drive last longer. Ray wondered how long the story could possibly be, and why they couldn’t just tell her at home.

“You said he came here for a better life,” Ray told her mother.

“A safer life,” her abuela corrected. Her mother stayed silent. She looked almost shameful as the older woman continued the story. “Raymond had to change his family name when he came to California. His family in Mexico was well known. To this day they are still living by the same rules.”

“Rules?” Ray asked.

“Cazamos a los que nos cazan,” her abuela recited.

Ray whispered the phrase to herself then looked at her mother in confusion. She had never learned the Spanish verb cazar before.

Sonia saw her daughter’s confusion and explained, “We hunt those who hunt us. It is a code they go by.”

Time seemed to slow down in the minivan. A street lamp outside caught Ray’s eye. She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible while looking at the passing light, not wanting to reveal to her mother and grandmother that she had heard of a code like that before.

“Your abuelo had to kill his own brother because of their code. That is why he had to give up that life. He couldn’t live among the people that made him do that,” her grandmother explained.

“Do they. . Do they kill people like my father?” Ray asked.

Sonia nodded. “Your father’s kind is rare. Killing him would have been like a trophy to them.” Ray clutched onto her seatbelt and closed her eyes. Her mother quickly added, “We will not let that happen to you.”

“As long as they don’t know about you, they will not come for you,” her abuela explained.

“But I haven’t hurt anyone.”

“Your abuelo’s brother didn’t either,” Sonia explained, “He was. . Turned. Part of their code is that if you aren’t human-“

“You have to take your own life,” her abuela finished. “He wouldn’t do it, so they sent Raymond after him.” It was then that the older woman turned in the passenger seat to stare down her grand daughter. “You must not tell anyone what you are. If his family finds out, they will have their way. They live and die by the code.”

Ray nodded to show she understood. Scott, Stiles, Jackson, Peter and most likely Derek all already knew about Ray. Hopefully it would stay between the five of them. She wondered for a brief moment what the Argents would do if they found out about her. They now know about Scott, and they agreed to let him live. Would they treat her the same? Or would they hunt her down like trophy game. .

The conversation in the van weighed heavy on Ray’s shoulders, but she refused to cancel her plans and hide inside forever. If the hunters didn’t know about her, then Ray was safe to go about her life.

After the CPR class on Sunday, Ray ran around the hospital looking for her mother with the new American Red Cross First Aid/CPR Certified pin stuck proudly to one of the straps of her school bag. Her mother was no where to be found, but she did find her neighbor Melissa McCall outside Lydia’s room. As the two started talking about what she learned in the two hour class, Lydia’s father stepped out of the hospital room.

He greeted Ray, having met her the night before when she was “visiting” with Lydia. For some reason, he was surprised to see she was visiting again, but Ray explained they had to come back a second day for her class. She hoped Lydia would be up for chatting with her and Stiles after her shower, but she expressed that she wouldn’t be offended if the redhead just wanted to get a good nights rest.

The father looked over to Stiles who was laying across four waiting chairs with the balloon him and Ray had picked out that morning from the dollar tree tied around his wrist for safe keeping. Both Ray and Melissa shook their heads in disapproval at the sleeping boy, knowing those wooden arms rests were not doing wonders for his back.

“Has he been here all day?” Lydia’s father asked.

“He’s been here all weekend, dragged along by this one,” Melissa said as she pinched Ray’s cheek.

“Not dragged along. Stiles volunteered today on his own accord. We are all worried about Lydia,” Ray informed the girl’s father.

Stiles slipped from the waiting chairs as he woke up from his slumber. The ballon attached to his wrist floated by his face and made him jump. He nearly fell to the floor.

Melissa tapped Ray with the chart in her hand then said, “Get that boy home to get some proper sleep.”

Little did Melissa know, Stiles truly needed a full nights rest. He spent the last couple of nights obsessively researching mermaids and sea nymphs.

“Yes, ma’am,” Ray told the nurse. She all but skipped toward the boy to show off her brands new pin.

Never before had she ever been certified in anything. Being able to save her friends in dire situations was a pretty damn cool thing to be certified in. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to use her knew skills.

“Maybe you can show me how to do CPR later,” Stiles said suggestively.

The comment completely floored Ray. She peaked over her shoulder to make sure her neighbor hadn’t heard what the boy said. Thankfully both Melissa and Lydia’s dad were long gone. She smacked the balloon against his head.

“You wish, Stilinski.”

He swatted the balloon away and smirked. “Your cheeks seem awful red for someone who isn’t at least considering it.”

“If you want to still be alive by the time Lydia is out of the shower I suggest you quit talking. In fact-,” Ray dug into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled dollar, “Will you go by me a Reese’s? I’ll hold the balloon while you’re gone.”

Stiles refused to take her money. “I’ve got it.”

“Stiles, it’s a dollar. Take my dollar.”

“Ray, it’s a dollar. I’ll buy you a candy bar,” he insisted as he walked off to find a vending machine.

Ray attached the balloon to her backpack then sat in the waiting chair. Lydia’s dad showed up with a fresh cup of coffee and sat next to her. They talked about how Ray and Lydia shared French class.

A loud crash that was followed by glass shattering made both Ray and Lydia’s father jump. Ray leaned in her chair to look down the hallway. Stiles came from around the corner looking awfully guilty. He rubbed a hand over his head then smiled awkwardly as he stopped in front of Ray and Lydia’s father.

“Wonder what that was. . Anyway, the vending machine is broken, so no candy.” He plopped down in the seat on the other side of Ray and extended an arm behind her chair.

Ray was hesitant to lean back into his embrace with Lydia’s father sitting next to her. She played with the string of the balloon and said, “That sucks. I was really craving one.”

“We’ll stop at the gas station on on the way home, and I’ll buy us a pack. I want one too.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “I know you just said that to look like a respectable kid in front of this man-,” Ray pointed over her shoulder to Lydia’s dad who was chuckling at them, “-but I will hold you to what you just promised.”

“I will buy you every Reese’s 7/11 has to offer,” Stiles insisted.

“Now I know you’re lying.”

Stiles didn’t get the opportunity to defend himself because a bone chilling scream erupted from Lydia’s hospital room. Her father all but threw his coffee onto the end table. Melissa came running from the nurses station and charged into the room, followed by her dad.

Ray and Stiles followed, but Ray stopped Stiles in the doorway and said, “What if she’s naked!”

“She’s not here,” Melissa called to the two of them. Her and Lydia’s father came out of the bathroom. “She left.”

“How could she have left?” Ray asked from the doorway to the room. Lydia couldn’t have gotten past them.

Stiles tapped Ray on the shoulder then pointed to the open window. Only then did she notice the freezing cold breeze sweeping into the room.

“She couldn’t have gotten far,” Stiles said. He grabbed Ray’s hand. “Come on, maybe we can still catch her.”

“But-,” Ray stuttered as Stiles dragged her down the hall. Lydia had been showering. . Had she climbed through that window naked?

Once the two were out the front doors, Stiles was calling Scott. Apparently Scott had heard Lydia scream and was already on his way over with his mom’s car to help search.

“I’ll go back in and grab something for Scott to catch a scent,” Stiles told Ray. “You want to wait in the jeep?”

“Stiles, she just bolted, naked! And her scream was somehow loud enough for Scott to hear? I know he has werewolf hearing, but he was clear across town. .”

“Maybe it’s a pack thing?”

“So you think she’s turning?”

“Can you think of any other reason she might scream then hop out a hospital window naked at night in February?” Stiles asked.

“She wasn’t healing from the bite. It just-it doesn’t add up.”

Two police cars pulled up, one of them belonging to the sheriff. There was no way he didn’t notice the two teens talking next to the baby blue jeep, but he kept his head down. Perhaps he was trying to deal with one problem at once, and a call about a girl fleeing her hospital room naked seemed to be more important than questioning his son about why he was on the scene.

Stiles waved his arms around wildly, “You’re a mermaid that controls the weather, our best friend is a werewolf, there are people who hunt supernatural beings for a living after him- none of this has ever made sense! Why would it make sense now?”

Ray’s nose flared. She didn’t appreciate him raising his voice at her. “Whatever, Stilinski.” The boy handed her the keys to his jeep so she could wait in it while he went to get the gown. She called after him, “Does this mean I’m not getting any Reese’s?”

She received a well deserved middle finger from the boy before he disappeared back into the hospital.

Scott had led their search party to the preserve. Allison has joined them last minute and came with a warning that her dad and a few other hunters were already out looking for Lydia. Ray couldn’t help but look over her shoulder from every suspiciously loud leaf crunch below her feet as she followed her friends through the woods. The hunters didn’t know about her. They wouldn’t hurt her.

Ray had to believe that was true.

“Why can’t we do normal teenage things like hotbox Stiles’s jeep?” Ray whined.

“I don’t think I can do that anymore,” Scott said dejectedly.

“Anymore?” Allison questioned.

Her comment went ignored by Stiles who said, “Guess we’ll have to find the time to test that theory.”

“After we find our friend,” Scott reminded him.

“Of course,” Ray said. She nearly ran into to Stiles’s back when he stopped abruptly. Ray peeked around him to see what he was looking up at. The burnt ruins of the Hale house stood tall just fifty feet ahead.

“She came here? You sure?” Stiles asked Scott.

“Yeah,” Scott said, “this is where the scent leads.”

Stiles rubbed his hand over his shaved head, “Alright, but has Lydia ever been here?”

Allison spoke up, “Not with me. Maybe she came here on instinct, like she was looking for Derek?”

“You mean. . looking for an Alpha,” Scott clarified.

“Wolves need a pack, right?” She asked.

“Not all of them,” Scott told her. It was true. Scott didn’t need a pack. He rejected both Peter and Derek as alphas.

“But would she have been drawn to an Alpha? Is it an instinct to be part of a pack?”

“Yeah, we're stronger in packs.”

Stiles nudged Ray and asked, “Are you drawn to an alpha?”

Ray glanced over at Allison who was thankfully too focused on Scott to pick up on what Stiles said. She opened her mouth to scold him for almost outing her, but the words died on her tongue when Stiles wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her close.

“What are you-“

“Don’t move,” Stiles said as he placed her behind himself. He bent down to examine something in the leaves. His hand reached out to touch something as he said, “Whoa, hey, look at this. You see this? I think it's a tripwire.”

Ray quickly put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Maybe don’t-“

It was too late. Stiles pulled on the wire. It almost sounded like a jacket was being zipped up as the rope from the trap tightened around Scott’s ankle and pulled him upside down. Allison and Ray both covered their mouths and tried not to laugh as the boy dangled in the air.

“Stiles,” Scott called out.

“Yeah, buddy-,” Stiles looked back at Scott, “Oh. .”

“Next time you see a tripwire, don't trip it.”

“Noted.”

Allison and Stiles moved to tamper with the tree the trap was attached to while Ray moved to hold Scott up so that he didn’t fall on his head when they released him. They didn’t have much time to figure out the trap before Scott started panicking and pushing Ray away.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he whispered to the three others, “Someone's coming. Hide. Go!”

Ray tried pulling on the rope around Scott’s ankle, but it wouldn’t loosen. Allison dragged Ray behind a tree right before Chris Argent approached Scott and stood right where Ray had been. The two men with him were the same from two nights before when Chris questioned Stiles, Ray and Jackson after the dance. This time both men were holding guns and seemed ready to use them. Ray swallowed thickly then hid further behind the tree, blocking the men from her view and hopefully herself from the men.

As Mr. Argent and Scott were talking, Chris said something about Lydia that made the hairs on Ray’s arms stand. He asked Scott if Lydia was part of his pack, but Scott insisted clique was the right word for it.

“I hope so,” Chris said, “'Cause I know she's a friend of Allison's, and one special circumstance, such as yourself. One, I can handle. Not two.”

Ray couldn’t help but think of how her mother warned her about how the hunters would see her as a trophy if they knew what she was. A sick image of her head on the Argent’s living room wall flashed through her mind. They’d stick her above the fireplace like some giant prized deer and boast to all their hunter friends that came over and saw her.

“ _Oh that? That’s the mermaid I caught in Beacon Hills of all places, can you believe it?_ ”

Her breaths didn’t feel like they were deep enough to supply her with any oxygen. Once the hunters were gone, Allison and Stiles hurried over to Scott to help him down while Ray remained leaning against the tree. Her hands both clutched onto her necklace as if it held all the secrets on how to make her feel calm again.

Scott cut the rope and landed on the ground with a hard thud that caused Ray to jump. She placed one foot forward to go meet with her friends, but she instantly pulled it back, not ready to leave from her hiding spot.

“Scott? What are you doing?” Allison asked as Scott jogged over time where Ray was hiding.

“She’s freaking out,” Scott told them. “Her heart rate skyrocketed after your dad said he could only handle one special circumstance.”

Stiles, Scott and Allison were now standing in front of Ray. They looked at her with pity. Ray hates it.

Allison said, “Don’t worry, Ray. My dad won’t kill Lydia.”

“It’s not only Lydia she’s worried about,” Stiles said knowingly.

“What do you mean?” Allison looked to Stiles then Scott. “Is there someone else?”

“No,” Ray said at the same time Stiles blurted out, “Ray is a sea nymph.”

“What’s a sea nymph?” Allison asked.

“It’s like a mermaid,” Stiles said proudly.

Scott put his hand on Stiles’s shoulder and said, “Stop, dude. You’re making her panic more.”

“You- you can’t tell your dad,” Ray begged Allison.

Allison looked slightly offended. “Of course I won’t.”

The promise made Ray feel slightly better, but her fear quickly jumped to anger. She shoved Stiles back and hissed, “Quit fucking telling people.”

“What? Our own friends can’t know?” Stiles said defensively.

“No one can know! The Argents aren’t the only hunters I’m worried about, so unless you would like to see my taxidermal form on some asshole’s wall, stop fucking outing me every chance you get.”

Stiles opened his mouth to say something but was smart to quickly shut it.

Scott stepped between the two and said, “Okay, let’s save this for the car. For now, we need to split up and search around the house for Lydia. Stiles, you can come with me.”

Allison didn’t want to search inside of the house because of everything that happened with her aunt and Peter. The two girls searched around the perimeter while the boys looked inside for Lydia. Ray was worried Lydia might have gotten caught in a trap like Scott had, but the girls only came across one other trip wire that was still engaged. They dismantled it from the tree in case Lydia ran back through the area.

Tensions were high in the ride back to the hospital. They hadn’t found Lydia. The temperature outside was dropping and was only going to get colder over the next few nights. Hunters were out searching for their friend, ones that already expressed they wouldn’t make an exception if they found her. And, a new addition to reasons why Ray was stressed, she felt terrible for lashing out at Stiles.

Logically she knew him telling their best friend and their best friend’s girlfriend wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Ray knew she would of had to tell Scott soon, and Allison finding out probably wouldn’t be too far off from that, but still she feared more people finding out. The fact that her mother and abuela came to her together to warn her about hunters was terrifying on it’s own. They didn’t even know that hunters just like the ones they feared in Mexico were living just a few streets away in their very own town of Beacon Hills.

As Ray was getting down from the jeep to get into Scott’s car at the hospital, she couldn’t help but think of how differently her family and her friends had reacted to Ray’s new abilities. Her family was angry and fearful, rightfully so now that Ray knew of her abuelo’s backstory. Scott offered his home as a safe haven to her when things got to be too much. For that she was grateful, but she was even more grateful for how Stiles responded to it all.

Yes, he outed her to Scott and Allison, but he seemed so excited both times he had told them. He had even stayed up the whole night after the school dance and battling the alpha just to research some stuff for her. Finding out about the necklace her father gave her felt like a big mystery had been solved. Stiles did that for her, without even being asked.

And now he was staring blankly ahead through the windshield as she climbed out of the jeep. Her scolding him had only made his night worse. Wasn’t the fact that their friend was missing bad enough? Ray didn’t need to be lashing out at the person who had helped her the most.

But how could she say all that when Scott was five feet away, waiting for her to get in his car so that he could drive them both home.

Ray cleared her throat and tried to talk in her most platonic, _I’m one of the dudes_ voice she could muster, “Yo, Stilinski.” When the boy’s honey eyes landed on her, her dude persona softened. She couldn’t look him directly in the eyes because of how it made her heart pound. “Uh-thanks for thinking mermaids are cool.”

She quickly sprinted off to Scott’s car like a dog running with it’s tail between its legs. Scott noticed her heartbeat and asked if she was still having anxiety about what Argent said in the woods. Instead of trying to explain to her best guy friend that her heart was racing because a boy simply looked at her, she decided to tell him about why her abuelo left Mexico.

“Apparently they say, ‘Cazamos a los que nos cazan’.”

“Ay, mierda. .,” Scott said under his breath.

“Yeah, sound familiar?”

“So there are more hunters than just the Argents’ group,” Scott realized, “but why did they kill your great uncle? Did he hurt someone?”

“I don’t know, but I think it was because he was bit. Family members can’t be supernatural. It’s a rule or something..I didn’t ask my abuela too much about it because honestly I was in shock that she had even come all the way to Beacon Hills just to tell me.”

“Would you mind if I told all that to Allison? That way she knows why you don’t want people to know. .”

“You can tell her. I don’t want her to think I didn’t want her to know because I don’t trust her. I just. . Don’t trust her family. . Wow that sounds horrible out loud.”

Scott laughed and said, “I’ll leave that part out when I’m explaining it to her.”

Scott talked to Allison at school the next day, and by French class Allison had already approached Ray about it to say she understood why Ray didn’t want her to know. Ray was so thankful Allison was understanding about it all, and even super supportive. She was worried things would be awkward between the two, but if anything it seemed like they were closer than ever now that they shared a secret. Allison even asked her if she would be willing to be lab partners again. Apparently her parents didn’t want her being partners with Scott anymore. Ray loved the idea.

Homework and studying with Stiles was fun to think about, but it never worked out. She knew Allison wouldn’t be dragging her on supernatural adventures when they were meant to be doing lab work.

Ray found Stiles at his locker at the end of lunch break to tell him about the switch in partners. Before Ray could even get a word out, Stiles had pulled a Reese’s candy from his locker and handed it to her.

“I owed you one,” he explained.

“You didn’t owe me anything, but I would be foolish to say no,” Ray said as she took the candy and immediately opened it. She handed one of the two cups back to the boy then said, “By the way, I’m lab partners with Allison again.”

Stiles put the whole peanut butter cup in his mouth then attempted to speak, “Are you still mad at me?” Surprisingly, she was able to understand him.

Ray frowned and look down at the candy instead of at the sad look on the boy’s face. Well, as sad as he could muster with a mouthful of chocolate and peanut butter.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you to begin with,” she told him.

“Then why are you switching? Is it because of that thing with Mel and Peter? Do you not want to do homework at my place? We can work in the library or-“

“It’s not you, Stiles.”

Stiles fake gasped. “Ray, that is the cheesiest breakup line in the book! I can’t _believe_ you didn’t break up with me in a more creative way. You know what?” Stiles plucked the second Reese’s from Ray’s hands. “You don’t deserve my gifts of gratitude.”

Ray rolled her eyes. “You over-dramatic baby. It’s only because Allison’s parents are making her switch. I’m just trying to be a good friend. . And I can’t break up with you if we aren’t dating!”

“Yup,” Stiles unwrapped the Reese’s and threw it in his mouth, “You suck.”

“Stiles!”

“First you abuse me-“

“It was one shove, a light shove!”

“Now you’re breaking up with me-“

“We were never together!”

“And denying our dates, four by the way!”

“Four?!” Ray shouted in disbelief. “I thought it was just one?”

Stiles smirked. “So you admit bowling was a date.”

“No!” People were snickering at them in the hall, but Ray and Stiles both didn’t seem to notice how big of a scene they were making.

Stiles started to count the dates off on his fingers. “Bowling, Shakey’s for your birthday, Shakey’s after we hit Peter’s car, the dance-“

“We danced for like _two_ seconds.”

“Uh, yeah because you got all flustered and tried to run off!”

“I didn’t,” Ray could feel her face heating up, “You know what, Stilinski? I’m glad Allison is my new lab partner because if she wanted to go on a date with me, she would know to straight up ask me instead of trying to trick me into it!”

“Trick you? I wasn’t the one wearing a skirt to our first study session for chem!”

“And look how that night turned out,” Ray said as she threw her hands up.

“I apologized for that,” Stiles reminded her.

“Yes, with Shakey’s on my birthday, so that wasn’t a date. It was an apology!”

“Fine!” Stiles said as he slammed his locker shut.

“Fine!” Ray agreed.

Both stormed off. . In the same direction. After all, they had chemistry to get to. Instead of walking like normal students, they were both trying to out fast walk one another. By the time they made it to the classroom, they had started sprinting and were all out of breath, entering through the door frame at the same time. Harris nagged then for running in the halls, but both students ignored their teacher’s remarks.

During the pop quiz, Allison and Ray couldn’t help but giggle when Stiles earned himself detention after school. It felt like Ray had finally rose above Stiles at something. They might have been equals in academics, but Ray knew not to talk back to a teacher, especially not Harris.

The two girls walked to Allison’s locker after class to discuss when they would be meeting up for lab work. Ray’s focus deterred when she caught sight of the black dress in her friend’s locker. Allison pulled it out to show her, earning a compliment from Matt a few lockers down. She told him he had a nice camera in return, gifting the boy one of her heartwarming smiles.

Ray smiled as well from their wholesome interaction, but then her mood soured at she heard two girls on the opposite wall talking shit about Allison.

“Not her sister, her aunt. The one who murdered all those people,” Harley said, not even trying to whisper.

“You mean the crazy bitch who killed all those people?”

“Yeah, the fire, all those animal attacks - it was her aunt.”

“Are you kidding? I sit next to her in English,” the second girl, Nicole, sounded disgusted.

“Find a new seat.”

Allison leaned forward so the door of her locker was covering her face from the other students walking down the hall. Her eyes squeezed shut, and her knuckles holding the locker door turned white. It didn’t take an empath to see how much those girls words had hurt the girl, but Ray was an empath. She could feel how heartbroken and embarrassed her friend was.

No one should be able to make her feel that way.

Ray quickly turned on her heel and stormed across the hall to the two girls. She shoved the one who had said those evil truths about Kate.

“Learn how to whisper of you are going to be talking shit about someone, Harley!” Ray seethed.

The second girl attempted to push Ray away, but Ray wasn’t having any of her shit. She slammed Nicole against a locker and said, “You too! Watch who you call a bitch unless you want to deal with a real one, and keep my friends name out of your mouth.”

“Nerine!” Harris shouted. He hurried from up the hall and pried Ray off the other girl. “Detention.”

Ray dares to argue, “She was-“

“I don’t care, Raymona! There is a no tolerance for violence policy! Detention after school. I suggest you bring something to work on.”

Nicole and Harley acted smug as they scampered off. Ray turned back to Allison to find that she had disappeared.

Great, now she really was no better than Stilinski.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I ended up writing more than planned..as always lol.


	14. Shape Shifted

The last thing Ray saw on her phone screen before handing it over to Mr. Harris for detention was a text from her step father saying the school called about her detention and that she had a lot of explaining to do. Ray’s mother would be getting home from work at five, so hopefully Ray could make it home from detention before then. Marcus was a lot more lenient about things, so he probably wouldn’t punish Ray if he knew the full story. Her fate was riding on if Harris released them after an hour.

Mr. Harris had Stiles and Ray sit on opposite sides of the room. This would have been an effective way to keep two students apart if one of the students wasn’t Stiles Stilinski. The boy’s curiosity always got the better of him. He scribbled a note on a piece of lined paper and thought Mr. Harris wouldn’t notice if he crumpled it up into a ball and tossed it at the back of Ray’s head. As soon as Stiles tore the sheet out of his notebook, Mr. Harris looked up to see every move the boy was making.

The teacher watched in disbelief as the boy recklessly threw the paper across the room at the girl. “You can’t be serious,” Harris deadpanned.

Stiles nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of his teacher’s voice. He cleared his throat and said, “S-sorry.”

Once the teacher went back to grading papers, Ray meticulously unfolded the paper in hopes of not making any obvious crunching noises. Stiles had asked why she had detention, so Ray wrote back explaining that she shoved a girl that was being rude about Allison’s aunt in the hall. Ray kept an eye on Harris the entire time she crumpled the paper back into a ball, not wanting to make the same foolish mistake as the boy.

Stiles held out his hands to catch the note as she threw it back. The teacher didn’t even pick his eyes up from the papers he was grading.

That is, until Stiles loudly uncrumpled the sheet of paper. Mr. Harris looked like he was going to break his own teeth with how hard his jaw was clenched. Ray put her face in her hands out of second hand embarrassment as their teacher started to scold him.

“Stilinski! Unless you want to turn this detention into a second one, I suggest you wait until after to respond to Miss Nerine.”

For the rest of detention, Ray tried focusing on homework, but her mind kept wandering to the boy across the room. Part of her kind of wished she just kept the first note from him. Was it weird that she found his messy hand writing endearing? Probably.

What the hell was she thinking starting another argument with him earlier? She was supposed to be admitting her feelings to him, not denying them.

Although, Ray still believed she was right about none of those situations being dates! Both parties have to know before hand and come to an agreeance that they are going on a date. It’s not something one could just throw on the other afterwards, or even during. For instance, if instead of taking her and Scotty to the woods to find half of a dead body that last night of winter break, Stiles had just taken Ray out. . That would have been a date. She willingly went thinking it was, stupidly, but willingly!

Now she knew better than to make assumptions about what Stiles meant when he said vague things. She learned not to let herself get hopeful for a date unless the boy made it very clear before hand. Like the first time she was supposed to do lab work with Stiles. . She spent over an hour getting ready just to be chased around the school by Peter who wanted Scott to kill them all!

Yeah. She learned her lesson about getting her hopes up.

Her French assignment sat blank for a solid ten minutes while Ray wondered where her and Stiles would even go on a date. The movies would be too quiet, Stiles would probably make funny comments about every scene which would annoy the people around them. In sixth grade, they went with Scott and his mom to see Spider-Man 3 in theaters, and Stiles talked to loud that they got kicked out halfway through the movie.

A hike would be fun, but also dangerous. Stiles still hadn’t fully learned his lessons from breaking his arm during his parkour phase. He would probably end up seeing a remote cave, nearly dying trying to make it to said cave, then being eaten alive by some bear all while Ray was stuck trying to find a way after him. . Oh but a drive would be perfect! Maybe they could even go to the beach, or even just the lake just outside of town. Wait, no. . The early March weather is still too cold for that.

As soon as the second hand declared it was four o’clock, Stiles shoved his untouched homework into his backpack. Ray had been so lost in her own fantasy that all they boy’s shuffling around made her jump and nearly knock her blank French homework off the lab table.

“Sit,” Mr. Harris told the boy.

“What,” Stiles argued, “but it's been an hour.”

“My detention's an hour and a half.”

Ray sighed heavily as Stiles continued to argue with their teacher, “You can't do that.”

“Oh, but I can. You see, Stiles, since your father was so judicious in his dealings with me, I've decided to make you my personal project for the rest of the semester. You are going to benefit from all the best that strict discipline has to offer. Now, sit down, before I decide to keep you here all night.”

Stiles begrudgingly sat back down. Ray was thankful he didn’t push it and cause Harris to make their detention even longer. Leaving school on her bike at 4:30 would leave just barely enough time for Ray to get home before her mother.

“Raymona,” Harris drawled, “You can go.”

A loud huff of annoyance came from the other side of the room, but Ray ignored the boy and calmly started to pack up her homework. She was able to make it home on her bike with plenty of time to spare.

Her step father Marcus was woodworking in the garage. Ray’s lungs sputtered as she breathed in what seemed to be more wood shaving particles than air. Marcus heard the girl coughing, turned off his saw then put his goggles on his head.

“Oh look, Muhammad Ali decided to finally show up.”

“I didn’t fight her,” Ray insisted. “Two girls were saying really awful things about Allison right in front of her, so I shoved them.”

Marcus squinted at the girl and thought for a moment before asking, “So you were sticking up for a friend?”

“Yes.”

“Would you do it again, even if that meant you got detention again?”

Ray didn’t know how to answer that. She should probably say she wouldn’t do it again and that she learned her lesson, but honestly. . If anyone else dared to say something rude about one of her friends again she would probably still get defensive.

“I would. Detention sucked, but I think if someone continued to be rude, I’d continue to defend my friend. So if that means you are going to tell my mom, then tell her. I don’t care if I get grounded. It would be worth it.” She couldn’t tell if her words were what Marcus wanted to hear or not.

He shook his head then said, “I appreciate your honesty. . If you get detention again, I probably won’t be able to keep it from your mom, but this one time-“

“Thank you!” Ray squealed as she ran to him with open arms, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Oof,” her stepdad said as she ran into him, “okay, hey, this doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook, you know. I expect the lawn to be mowed this weekend.”

“Consider it done!”

“I’ll consider it done when you do it,” he told her. “Oh, and Danny and Jay were waiting for you to get home so that you guys can join that search party for your friend Lydia. Be home by ten. And that means before ten, not at ten!”

It started to get dark after a couple hours of hiking through the woods with the search party. Danny suggested they head home since they probably wouldn’t be able to find much of anything in the dark. Part of Ray wanted to keep searching, but she knew better than most that the woods surrounding Beacon Hills were full of unwanted surprises. After all, trip wires are a lot easier to trip over in the dark.

Danny slowed the car to a stop on their way back into town. An ambulance was parked haphazardly in the middle of the road facing them. The paramedics were both standing outside the vehicle, examining the back. Jayden turned down the music so that they could all focus on the sight ahead of them.

“What are they doing?” Ray wondered from the backseat.

When Danny opened his door to get out and talk with the medics, they could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, getting louder by the second. Ray and Jayden both stepped out of the car, following in the footsteps of their step brother. Two police cars sped up to the scene from the direction of town.

A medic finally noticed the three kids standing by their car and called out, “You guys might want to get back in your vehicle.”

Jayden’s eyes widened. He whispered to his older siblings, “There’s blood on one of the doors.”

“Seriously?” Danny asked. He walked around to the passenger side of the car to see what Jayden was seeing. “Oh shit.”

Ray did not feel the need to see the blood for herself. She happily got back in the backseat like the medic advised. Eventually a deputy came over and told the boys to get back in the car and lock the doors. Ray immediately started questioning her brothers as soon as they got back in the car.

“Did he say what happened?”

“Just that there was an attack,” Danny answered.

“What do you think did that?” Jayden asked. He looked back at Ray as if she could have any idea of what would have done all that.

The sad thing was, Ray did have an idea about what could have attacked the ambulance to create that much blood, but she wasn’t about to outright tell her brothers about it. If she cried werewolf, Danny would surely turn the car around and drive her the next town over to book her into Eichen House.

Jayden might believe her, though.

“I don’t know,” Danny said, “but I do know we have to find Lydia, especially if there is some _creature_ out there attacking ambulances.”

The way Danny had said the word creature caused Ray’s heart to skip a beat. It was almost as if he knew it wasn’t an animal that attacked the ambulance.

“It was probably a bear,” Ray said quickly.

Danny scoffed and shook his head. “How the hell would a bear attack a moving ambulance and open the back doors? Hell, what was it even doing on the road? An ambulance speeding down the street should have scared it off in the other direction.”

“So what? You think it was another mountain lion attack?” Jayden asked.

“Dude, there was never any mountain lions. It was proven to be Kate Argent the whole time.”

“Then what attacked Ray’s manager at the video store?”

Both boys turned back to look at their sister who just shrugged, “Don’t look at me! The officers that night said it was a mountain lion. Sheriff said it was even caught on camera leaving the store.”

“So, it wasn’t human? You’re sure it couldn’t of been Kate?” Jayden asked.

Ray didn’t have an answer for her younger brother. The three sat in silence for a moment while the watched the emergency vehicle lights twinkle in the darkening road in front of them.

After a few moments, Danny spoke up in a low tone, “My aunt used to tell me a lot of Hawaiian myths. . There was this one she would say every time my cousins and I wanted to run down to he beach. The shark king became obsessed with a human woman. He shape shifted to human form, and they fell in love. When she became pregnant with his child, he decided it was time to go back to the ocean.”

Jayden snorted, “Of course the father dipped.”

“Typical,” Ray added.

“He had to leave,” Danny explained, “And he left her with one rule: don’t let the child eat the flesh of animals.”

“A shark that believes in veganism?” Jayden joked.

Danny rolled his eyes. “He was trying to protect her of what was to come of the child. The baby was born with a hole on his back. The mother was so ashamed of the deformity that she hid it from everyone, but she kept her promise and didn’t let the boy eat any animals until one day the boy’s grandfather took him to eat with the other men. He had meat for the first time, and it unlocked something in him. The boy became insatiable. Later that day he bathed in the stream and shape shifted into a shark. At first he only killed other small creatures in the stream and ocean, but when he a came a man, he started shifting into a shark while swimming with friends in the ocean and eating them.”

“He killed his own friends?” Jayden asked.

“He couldn’t control himself. For many years he tried, but his hunger for humans was too strong.”

Ray felt sick to her stomach. If only Danny knew just how spot on the myth was. .

Also, were shark shape shifters a thing? Because that is absolutely terrifying, and Ray may never have a peaceful nights rest ever, ever again.

“Oh no,” Ray said as she noticed the blue jeep pulling up behind them. Scott and Stiles both jumped out. Her neighbor looked like he took a big sniff of the air then disappeared off into the line of trees. Ray’s brothers were glaring at their neighbor, probably thinking he was crazy as he ran off in the the woods since there was a murdering creature on the loose. Little did they know, that creature was probably Lydia Martin.

“What the hell are those two _idiots_ doing?” Danny mumbled.

The Sheriff on the scene groaned out as he saw his son approaching. He started to yell at him for showing up to yet another crime scene. Ray waited a second to let the man parent his kid before she told her brothers, “I’m going to go help him get out of that. I’ll be right back.”

“You’re too good to him,” Danny called after her as she left the car.

“Mom keeps asking me if they are dating, as if Ray would tell me about her boyfriends,” Jayden said as he rolled his eyes. “Whatever they are, it’s gross.”

“They aren’t,” Danny told him, “I have to listen to him pine over her in the locker room like daily. He’s lucky I haven’t tackled him on the field yet.”

Out on the scene, Ray was trying her best to avoid looking in the direction of the blood, but she did catch sight of the back of the ambulance for a brief second. There was blood splattered everywhere, even on the ceiling. One of the two back doors seemed to be hanging on a thread. This definitely wasn’t done by a mountain lion, or even a bear.

“Oh, not you too, Raymona,” the sheriff sighed and pinched his nose.

“Danny, Jay and I were out looking for Lydia with the search party then decided to head back when it got darker and. . Well, came across this.” Ray winced when she saw the body bag and how eerily half empty it looked.

What the hell had Lydia done?

“All of you kids need to get back in your cars and wait, or take the long way around the reserve. I can’t have you guys standing out here while whatever did this-,” he gestured to the ambulance, “-is still on the loose.”

Stiles rubbed a hand over his hair and sighed, “Just-“ He froze, seeing something in the tree line.

Ray couldn’t believe her eyes. Lydia Martin, naked as one could be, stumbled out from behind a bush and stood at the side of the road. Everyone on the scene stared at the girl in shock. Lydia threw up her hands and asked, “Well, is anyone going to get me a coat?”

The sheriff shrugged off his coat then handed it to Ray to take over. Ray sprinted to her friend and wrapped her in the material. Once that was on her, Ray pulled her leggings out from under her skirt and handed them to the girl.

“Thank you,” Lydia said, her teeth chattering.

“Of course, holy shit,” Ray whispered, “Are you okay?”

Danny ran over to them with an extra gym shirt from his trunk. He and Ray blocked the crowd’s view of the red head to she could take off the jacket an pull the tshirt over her head. After Lydia was all bundled up in the sheriiff’s coat again, Danny pulled her into a tight hug.

“Jesus, Lyds, you had us all freaked!” Danny said.

“You guys were freaked? Try being lost in the woods for two days!”

Ray wanted to laugh at her friend’s joking tone, but it didn’t feel like the time to joke. She was relieved Lydia was safe, but what the hell happened? There wasn’t an ounce of blood on the girl, which meant she probably didn’t attack the ambulance.

So what had?

“They are probably going to call you an ambulance,” Ray told the girl.

Danny asked, “Want to wait in my car until it gets here? I’ll put my heater on full blast.” He guided Lydia to the car while Ray went to ask the sheriff how far out the ambulance would be.

Once the sheriff walked off to talk with his deputies, Ray turned to Stiles and asked, “If Lydia didn’t do all this, then what the hell did?”

Stiles, for once, was at a loss of words. The only answer was obvious. . There was another supernatural creature running around Beacon Hills that they didn’t know about.

Ray just hoped it wasn’t one of those shark shapeshifter things.

Things in Beacon Hills seemed to quiet down over the next week. They found out the attack on the ambulance had been done by an werewolf that the Argents called an Omega right before slicing him in half and declaring war on all werewolves, or, Ray hoped it was just werewolves. It wasn’t like her abilities were deadly, and she didn’t have an incontrolable blood lust like the shark shapeshifter Danny spoke of or a werewolf on their first few full moons. If anything, Ray was just extra thirsty. That shouldn’t pose as a threat to the Argents.

The loose red dirt beneath her feet splattered onto Ray’s shoes as she picked up her pace. Ray had a tightening urge in her chest to look over her shoulder. As she did so, she was reminded that she was the only one on the track this early in the morning. Not a soul was on the football field. People rarely used the field or the track around it unless the team was in season. Even during the fall season, students only hung around the field during the after school practices for football and cheer. She doubted a single person was even thinking about the school’s losing football team at 7am during offseason, so why did she feel like she was being watched?

By her second lap around, Ray had given up and started walking the curves of the track. By the third she was looking forward to the curves just so that she could breathe. On the fourth and final lap, Ray pushed herself through the last straight, giving it all she had before collapsing on the over grown football field.

Yeah, she needed to do this more often. One mile shouldn’t make her feel like her lungs had been ripped out of her and ran over by a semi truck. Maybe if she got into better shape by next year, she could join the cross country team. That would surely keep in in good enough shape to be running from murdering, psychopathic werewolves. . Or hunters.

Her 20oz water bottle was not enough. When she stopped in the hallway of the locker rooms to fill it up at a water fountain, the lacrosse team barreled in from their morning practice, filling the small hallway with sweaty boys who smelled terrible. Her step brother Danny tapped her on the shoulder as he shuffled past her.

“Good run, Raymona?” He called out to her over the sea of boys taking off their shirts before they even made it into the locker room, Danny himself being one of those boys.

“I feel dead inside,” Ray responded.

“That’s how you know it was a good workout!” Danny said before disappearing into the boys locker room.

Ray stepped out of the way so that the boy behind her waiting for the fountain could take a drink. She sipped on her half full bottle and waited for the boys to get out of her way before finishing filling it. The last two to stumble in from the field were her best friend and his troublesome sidekick who she had grown fond of in the past few months.

Stiles acted like he was seeing a ghost when he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Drinking water,” she answered with a shrug.

Scott shook his head in disapproval at her sarcastic tone then explained, “Ray’s on a mission to get fit. She went for a jog this morning.” Her neighbor knew all about her plans to get in shape to better protect herself from the supernatural, and he was fully supportive.

“Ray doesn’t need to work out. She is already fit,” Stiles said without missing a beat. His eyes went wide like he couldn’t believe what just tumbled out of his own mouth.

Scott and Ray both raised their eyebrows at the boy. He mumbled something incoherent at then excused himself into the locker room. Ray started to refill her water bottle again while Scott began explaining what happened during their morning practice.

“So they are just questioning Isaac now in the principal’s office, but Stiles said if they find any sort of evidence, they might hold him in the holding cell tonight.”

Ray wasn’t understanding the issue, “And that would be a bad thing because. .”

“Oh, right,” Scott blushed. “I forgot to mention. Derek turned him.”

Ray choked on her water. “You couldn’t start out with that information?!”

“I’m sorry! I’m just freaking out because we have to do something! Tonight’s a full moon, his first full moon!”

“But they haven’t brought him in yet right? I have first period with him, so if he isn’t there. . Then we can start to worry.”

Sure enough, Isaac was in first period. Ray tried to act casual when she sat in the seat next to him, but people took notice to her odd behavior. Usually she sat clear across the room. Ray could read the feelings of the boy next to her. He was sad, confused and agitated. It was the last part that worried her since it was his first full moon. With everything going on, Ray worried his heart rate night go up, causing him to lose control.

“Hey.” Ray nodded to the boy, offering an awkward smile.

“What do you want?” He grumbled.

“Just checking in to make sure you were feeling okay. If you need to leave class to like. . Chill out. . I can give you notes after.”

It was then she noticed how strikingly blue his eyes were. Ray had never noticed that about a boy before, at least, not one that wasn’t an actor on TV. She had actually come to believe that eyes weren’t really as blue as they seemed on screens, it was just filters that made them seem so. . Blue. But here Isaac Lahey was, proving that theory wrong.

The two teens stared at each other in shock for a moment. Isaac was probably wondering why Ray was being so nice to him. Ray just couldn’t believe she had never taken notice to him before. Lahey was a wallflower for sure, but how had other girls not noticed how soft his blonde curls looked? How was he not the talk of the town?

“Uh, Ray?” Lydia called out as she sat behind her, “Why are we sitting on this side of the room today? Did you move while I was gone?”

Ray jumped at the sound of her friend’s voice. She didn’t know why, but it felt like she had been caught doing some awful thing. Isaac awkwardly cleared his throat and pretended to look down at his notebook.

“Lydia! You’re back!” Ray said cheerily as she turned in her seat. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise since it had been just over a week since her two day hike in the woods.

“Of course I am. I had to come show off the nine pounds I lost. By the way, my dad said you kept trying to visit, but it was always bad timing. Thank you for stopping by. . We should hang out later this week at my place. I’ll invite Ali too.”

“I would love that! Hey, have you met Isaac?” Ray said as she pointed to the boy next to her.

Lydia seemed like she was noticing Isaac for the first time too. She flipped her red locks over her shoulder then leaned forward in her seat, making the front of her dress look even more jaw dropping. Isaac turned pink when he saw the way she was looking at him. Ray couldn’t help but snort when his eyes flickered down to the redhead’s chest then back up to her eyes.

“Hello, Isaac,” Lydia said sweetly.

“H-hi,” he stuttered.

“You aren’t dating my friend Ray here, are you Isaac? I don’t think I was gone long enough to miss something that important.”

“N-no-“

“I just thought I would introduce you two,” Ray said quickly. “He’s on the lacrosse team with Scott and Stiles.”

“Maybe next year I’ll get enough cheerleaders to come support you guys during your season, Isaac,” Lydia said with a wink. “Hey, Ray! You should join the team.”

“Cheer isn’t really my-“

Isaac nodded in agreement with Lydia, “You should definitely join, Ray.”

Ray was at a loss for words when the blonde looked her up and down as if he was imagining her in a cheer uniform. Thankfully, the teacher called for everyone to settle down so that he could start class. She had never noticed a boy look at her like that before, like she was. . attractive.

It was. .a nice change of pace.

With Isaac confirmed in class, Ray and the boys were able to relax for their next few classes. Well, relaxing wasn’t exactly in Stiles Stilinski’s vocabulary. Scott and Ray tried reassuring him in second period that Isaac would be fine, but Stiles wasn’t too sure. Since it was an ongoing murder investigation, and new information could change the game completely. Isaac could still land in the holding cell overnight.

After French, Allison and Lydia continued the conversation they were having all period well into lunch. They were finally able to include Ray, who was grateful they could use English now that class was over. The girls were catching Lydia up on everything she missed the week and a half she had been gone, but soon the subject turned to the dance. Allison and Ray were weary about saying anything since Lydia had gone through so much that night. Still, Lydia seemed in high spirits when she asked if Allison and Scott ever got to dance. Allison was able to gush about the dancing, but was short about how the night ended. Ray figured the middle of the school cafeteria was not the time to tell Lydia that Scott was a werewolf, but they would have to figure out how to tell her one day. After all, Peter had bitten her. She deserved an explanation.

“So, did it work,” Lydia asked out of the blue.

“No,” Allison grumbled.

Since she didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, Ray had to ask, “Did what work?”

“Allison’s little plan to get you and-“

Allison cut Lydia off, “It’s nothing, Ray.”

Lydia glared at Allison. “I didn’t get attacked by some crazy lunatic at the dance for nothing.” She turned to Ray, still unhappy, “Are you telling me you and Stilinski still haven’t admitted having feelings for each other? What the hell was the point of me going to the dance with him to make you jealous if you weren’t going to do anything about it.”

Allison was covering her face out of embarrassment from getting caught. Ray couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Yes, Jackson told her Allison’s plan after the dance, but she hadn’t fully believed he was telling the truth.

“I can’t believe you!” Ray told Allison.

Allison felt too guilty to say anything for herself, so Lydia spoke up, “Oh whatever. If you don’t like him, then why are you even mad about it?”

Ray opted for not answering and taking a drink from her water bottle instead. It didn’t matter how Ray felt. She was pretty sure Stiles didn’t think of her in the same way. If he did, wouldn’t he have asked her out by now? Or taken her on a proper date that didn’t include supernatural threats?

Allison’s guilty frown turned into a mischievous smile. “You do like him, don’t you?” She realized.

Would it be so bad to admit to her friends she had a crush? Maybe they had advice on how to get over it. Ray glanced at Stiles across the cafeteria. Him and Scott were talking adamantly about something, so Scott wasn’t listening in.

“Okay, fine, yes I do, but I’m trying to get over him, so-“

“Why?” Lydia asked.

“Because we could never, I mean, he’s- Isn’t it weird to like your friend? I’ve known him since I was like five.”

“That’s so cute,” Allison gushed unhelpfully.

“Well, we already assumed you two were dating when we went bowling, so no, it’s not weird. Actually, it’s weird to me that you aren’t already a thing. Like, hello! He’s totally staring at you right now!”

“Wha-,” Ray’s heart nearly stopped when she saw Scott whispering something to Stiles as the boy looked at her with wide eyes. “Shit. I gotta-“ Ray stood up and collected her tray. “-shit. Just so you two know, I totally hate you for this!”

Allison was giggling to herself, probably well aware that Scott had been listening in. Lydia was left utterly confused on why Ray had stormed out of the cafeteria.

Ray and Allison made up pretty quick since they were lab partners the period after lunch. They were very grateful to be each other’s partners when their old partners threw a wad of paper at the back of their teacher’s head and got sent to the principal’s office. Allison put her head in her hands and sighed heavily out of her nose.

“Hey,“ Ray whispered, “Don’t worry about those dumbasses. They’ll be fine.”

“No, they won’t,” Allison whispered back, “My grandfather is the new principal.”

If Scotty had known that, he wouldn’t be willingly walking into that man’s office. Allison’s grandfather didn’t know about Scott’s abilities, but apparently he knew Scott had dated Allison. She wasn’t worried for too long. If Stiles and Scott wanted to throw paper balls at Mr. Harris, then maybe they deserved a little humiliation from the new principal.

When Stiles returned from the principal’s office without Scott, Ray decided it was time to build up the courage and face him. As soon as class ended, she grabbed him in the hall and dragged him around a corner to privately ask, “Is Scotty okay?”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “What about _Stiles_? I went to the principal’s office too, you know.”

“You threw a paper at the back of Harris’s head,” Ray deadpanned. “And anyway, Ali told me her grandfather is the principal, and then Scotty never came back to class, and I’m starting to freak out a little and assume the worst like- Did our principal kill my best friend? Is Scott captured? Or worse, like- he in I.S.S.? His mom would kill him.”

“And here I thought I was the one who went on panicky rants-“

“Stiles!” Ray shook his arm.

“Okay, okay! Sheesh, Scotty is fine. He went with Derek to investigate Isaac’s house or something. Then after my detention we’re-,” Stiles gestured wildly between the two of them, “-supposed to break Isaac out of the holding cell before the full moon hits and then Derek’s gonna like-chain him up or something.”

“The plan is that we-,” Ray gestured between the two of them like the boy just had, “-are going to break someone out of jail?”

“Listen, before you go off on a rant about how stupid this is-“

“No,” Ray interrupted him. She smiled mischievously, “Yes, it’s stupid, but I’m totally down.”

Stiles put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. “Are you- are you okay?”

“If Isaac is really innocent, then he doesn’t deserve to be in that holding cell tonight, full moon or not.” Ray stated. “Oh, can I have your keys so I can wait in the jeep during your detention?”

“Definitely not.”

Ray pushed out her bottom lip. “Please? Your detentions with Harris are always long. I don’t want to wait alone in the hallway for an hour and a half.”

The boy begrudgingly got his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Ray. “If you even move it from one parking spot to the next, I’ll know and I’ll kill you.”

She swung the key ring around on her finger and smirked at the boy. “No promises.” Before he could grabbed the keys back from her, she had sprinted around the corner and down the hall to her sixth period.

Ray had been waiting in the jeep for well after the hour and a half mark. Where the hell was Stilinski? Harris should have let him out by now, but judging by all the unanswered texts and calls both her and Allison sent, he must have still be in detention.

The sky was already darkening, and the moon was shining bright on the horizon. The thirst Ray had experienced last full moon was back and starting to make her feel light headed. She jumped down from the jeep with her empty water bottle clutched tightly in her hand. If Stiles didn’t make it out soon, Ray didn’t think she’d be much help at getting Isaac out.

On her mission to refill her bottle, Allison called her for the third time since school ended. This time she wasn’t just calling to worry.

“They are suiting up this guy in a deputy uniform. I think they are planning to send him to kill Isaac.”

Ray held the phone between her shoulder and cheek so she could multitask and fill up her bottle. “Kill? He hasn’t done anything!”

“I know! Which is why you guys need to get over there like-ten minutes ago!”

“Shit- okay. I’m going to find a way to get Stiles out of detention. Do you think you can slow the guy down?”

“I can try.”

Ray bit her lip then said, “Be careful, Allison.”

“You too, Ray.”

Harris was no fool. Ray would have to come up with a solid lie, and she couldn’t let him have any time to debunk it. She’d have to run in there, explain herself, grab Stiles and run out before Harris could protest.

The only thing was the lie she had come up with was probably going to shock Stiles. She used some of the water to fake tears then rubbed her eyes roughly to redden them. She looked the part, so as long as she stuck to the plan, in and out, she’d have no issues.

Ray burst into the chemistry classroom, breathing heavy and swinging her water bottle around like a mad man.

“Stiles!”

“Miss Nerine-“ Harris scolded.

“Stiles! It’s your dad!” She swiped Stiles’s phone from their teacher’s desk then raced forward to grab the boy’s bag all while yelling, “We gotta go quick! There’s no time!”

“M-my dad?” Stiles stuttered. His voice crack nearly made her drop the act and tell him it was all gonna be alright. “Is he okay?”

“We have to go!” She took him by the hand and dragged him out of the classroom. They made it to the front doors of the school before Stiles planted his feet and refused to move.

“My dad-what happened to my dad?” He was starting to panic like that night there was mountain lion at the school and someone hit his dad with their car.

Ray smiled to show everything was okay. “I lied to get you out. I’m sorry. Your dad is fine, but we have to go save Isaac.”

“He’s fine? He’s okay?”

“Bet he is on the couch watching today’s game on DVR without you as we speak.”

“Jesus,” Stiles mumbled as he pulled Ray into a tight hug. She squeaked out of shock then attempted to hug him back, accidentally hitting his side with her water bottle as she did so.

“Sorry!” She retracted her hands, but Stiles still didn’t let her go. “Stiles?”

“That was smart, but if you ever do that again without warning me, I swear to god-“

“You’ll chop me up into little pieces and feed me to my own cat?”

Stiles pulled away and smiled down at her. “I don’t think Kika would eat you. Lapu. . Maybe.”

Ray’s eyes widened at the mention of their second cat, Lapu. Danny brought two cats with him when he moved in. Kika was a striped, orange cat who was playful and purred even to strangers who would pet her. Lapu was an all black cat that only ever let Danny pet it. Ray rarely even saw it. She swore it goes to a different dimension when is disappears under Danny’s bed.

“Lapu would eat me whole I bet,” Ray confirmed.

“Then I guess you better never scare me like that ever again.”

“Noted.”

By the time they had picked up Derek Hale and arrived at the station, Ray had already finished her water. Her skin felt dry and tight, and sure enough when she looked down at her hands, they had green scales forming up them.

Derek took one look over his shoulder at her in the backseat then said, “She’s not going.”

Stiles freaked out when Ray’s glowing eyes blinked at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I can’t control it!” She defended.

“Why can’t you control it?” Derek said in annoyance.

“It’s only her second full moon,” Stiles mumbled.

Derek sighed heavily. “Seriously? And you bring her on a mission to break someone out of jail?”

“She was fine earlier!”

“Look,” Derek said to Ray, “The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us. You have the ability to change at your own will, not the moon’s. So find what makes you human and use that to pull you back down.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Ray asked.

“For me, it’s anger. Or it could be pain.”

“Are you suggesting she gets angry, because that only makes things like a billion times worse,” Stiles said quickly, “She makes thunder and lightning strike down!”

The werewolf raised his eyes brows, clearly impressed. “Really? What else can you do?”

“Grow green scales, apparently,” Ray grumbled.

“Okay,” Stiles moved on, “Ray is totally staying in the car. Now, the keys to every cell are in a password protected lockbox in my father's office. The problem is getting past the front desk without Ray to distract Jessica. .”

“I'll distract her,” Derek offered simply.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa-you?” Stiles grabbed the shoulder of Derek’s jacket to stop him from leaving “You're not going in there-,” Derek gave him a deadly glare. “-I'm taking my hand off.”

“I was exonerated,” Derek deadpanned.

Ray had no idea what that meant.

“You're still a person of interest,” Stiles reminded him.

Ray also didn’t know if that was a bad thing or not.

“An innocent person,” Derek insisted.

“An-you? Yeah, right!”

“Stiles!” Ray chastised. “We don’t exactly have a wide range of options to choose from. Either I go in looking like the fucking swamp monster from the one episode of Kim Possible, or Derek goes and just talks with Jessica. .”

Stiles huffed, but agreed, “Okay, fine. What's your plan?”

Derek stared at him like it should have been obvious, “To distract her.”

“Uh huh. How? By punching her in the face?” Ray rolled her eyes at how ridiculously unhelpful Stiles was being.

“By talking to her.”

“Okay, all right. Give me a sample. What are you gonna open with?” Stiles waited for a response, but all Derek offered was an expressionless glare. Ray knew they were just setting themselves up for failure as Stiles went on, “Dead silence. That should work beautifully. Any other ideas?”

“I'm thinking about punching you in the face.”

“While I would love to see that,” Ray interjected while Stiles pouted at her, “Let me just say, Jessica is single and hates online dating because she wants to meet someone ‘organically.’”

“Pft,” Stiles waved her off. “As if she would go for Derek.”

Derek raised an eyebrow at the boy, causing him to squirm. He smirked then said, “Guess we’ll find out,” as he got out of the jeep.

The teenage boy’s mouth hung open as he watched Derek walk confidently into the police station, despite being a person of interest. Only when Ray giggled in the backseat did he break his gaze on the door to turn to her and ask, “What?”

“You’re blushing, Stiles.”

“I’m-I- shut up.”

“You’re not imaging what it would be like to be flirted with by Derek Hale, are you?”

“Definitely not!”

“Then stop disassociating and get the hell in there, Stilinski!”

After he left, Ray focused on what Derek was saying about not letting the moon have power over her. She did a few breathing exercises then counted her fingers twice. The counting trick seemed to work because when she looked at herself in the rear view mirror, her eyes were no longer glowing.

Her hands were still littered in little green scales, but she was taking every small victory she could get.

When she started counting the cars parked outside the station, the sheriff’s police car parked in front of the jeep. Shit. She thought he wasn’t on duty tonight. As she was in the middle of sending Stiles a warning text, the fire alarm in the station started going off.

The sheriff slammed his car door and immediately made eye contact with Ray. He yelled so that she could hear him, “He’s in there, isn’t he?”

Ray knew he was asking about his son and that the question was rhetorical. After all, he was asking the person sitting in his son’s jeep parked directly outside the station. It wasn’t like she could lie.

Ten minutes later, Stiles was being dragged out of the station by the collar of his shirt. His father was yelling curses and saying he was grounded indefinitely. Ray gingerly crawled into the passenger seat at Stiles’s dad threw the boy in the driver’s seat. Thankfully, the small amount of green scales left on her palms went undetected.

“Just straight to school and straight home! And no Ray!”

“No Ray!” Stiles protested, “She didn’t do anything, dad! That’s why she waited in the car because she didn’t want to go in-“

“That’s very smart of you, Ray,” the sheriff told her calmly. When he shifted his gaze back to his son, his voice was anything but calm. “Take her home and say goodbye because this is the last time you two will be hanging out for a while!”

Stiles must have a death wish because he continued arguing, “Define ‘a while’.”

The sheriff pointed a finger at his son and spoke lowly, “You’d be lucky to see her over summer.”

“Dad, that’s months away!” Stiles said while Ray warned, “Stiles, stop poking the bear.”

“Okay, how does Christmas sound?” His dad threatened.

“Okay! Okay,” Stiles finally gave up. “I’ll take her home!”

Stiles was pouty the whole way home. He hated being yelled at by his dad, but he hated disappointing the man way more. After explaining what happened in the station, he didn’t have much else to say. On the bright side, Isaac escapes with Derek out the alley access door of the station.

Ray smiled to Stiles as she was getting out of the jeep, hoping to lift his spirits.

“Hey, don’t worry. Your dad will cool off. I mean, my mom has had a No Stiles rule since middle school and look where that got us. . Besides, we’ll still see each other in classes, right?”

“Yeah I just-,” Stiles let out a big breath of air. “I just wanted us to actually get a chance to hang out, and not just when werewolf shit comes up.”

“Well, we can always hang out at Scotty’s?” Ray nodded to the house next to hers. When all she got from the boy was a halfhearted shrug, she went on, “Or you could come over to mine sometime. . When my mom isn’t home, obviously, but Marcus is chill. He’ll just make us leave my bedroom door open like when Danny has his boyfriend over.”

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she wished she could suck them right back up. She quickly added, “I mean, not that you’re- Marcus just has a no closed door policy for all boys. Even Jayden’s friends sometimes.”

“Of course, yeah,” Stiles said like he was holding in a breath.

“Right,” Ray nervously tapped on the door of the jeep then said, “Well, see you in school.” She quickly turned on her heel and practically sprinted into her house. She didn’t stop running until she got to her room, jumped on her bed and screamed into her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter where I felt like the actual episode title fit!
> 
> Kika means tiger in Hawaiian and Lapu means ghost. Also, Danny having a black cat named ghost is my little nod and wink to anyone who headcanon’s him as being a witch. I definitely think he would have a witch phase in college.. Or at the very least he would own multiple pairs of Doc Martens.
> 
> Also the shark shape shifter is a real Hawaiian myth I read about on a few sights when I was researching mermaids and shape shifters from different cultures! One of those sites is www.to-hawaii.com/hawaiian-myths-and-legends.php


	15. Make Your Move

“I totally beat your time today,” Stiles gloated.

“Pft, yeah okay, _stud muffin_.” Ray playfully nudged the boy toward the locker rooms. “Go change out of that ridiculous outfit.”

Stiles smiled mischievously. He reached out to twirl a part of Ray’s pony tail around his finger as he asked, “Wanna come watch?”

“Absolutely-,” She swatted his hand away, “-not! But I bet Scott will if you ask him nicely.”

Ray slipped into the girls’ locker room, thankful Stiles couldn’t follow. Allison and Lydia hadn’t started getting out of their gym clothes yet. They were busy having some heated discussion. Lydia was pouting, but her eyes lit up at the sight of Ray.

“Oh, Ray! Allison was just telling me that you guys are going skating tonight.”

“I never agreed to that,” Ray said bluntly.

“Well I love skating! I haven’t been in a few years. . I’m so jealous of you guys. .”

“Just come with us,” Ray said with a shrug.

Lydia smiled brightly at that. Allison was not as amused.

“But Ray, it was going to be just _me and Scott_ and _you and Stiles_ ,” Allison said slowly as if it had a double meaning.

“Well now it’s you, me, Lydia, Scott and Stiles. The more the merrier. Besides-,” Ray opened her locker up to dig out her school clothes, “-Lydia can help me with my skating. I’m awful at it. . Which is why I didn’t want to go, but if Lydia will be there to help me out then that could be fun!”

Ray didn’t like the way Allison was glaring at her. What had she done wrong? Was she supposed to tell Lydia she couldn’t go skating with them? Was Allison mad at Lydia for some reason?

“Anyway. .,” Ray attempted to change the subject. “Is Erica okay?”

The three girls looked around the locker room. Erica hadn’t come in to change yet.

Lydia tapped her nails against her locker as she asked, “You don’t think she’s still out there, right?”

A crippling sense of fear washed of Ray, causing her to grip onto her locker to steady herself. Her two friends were asking her what was wrong, but all Ray could say was, “She’s scared.”

Allison and Lydia were confused and wondering if Ray was talking in third person, or if she was talking about Erica. When Ray suddenly bolted out of the locker room, her two friends chased after her back out into the gym. Scott was already running across the gym when they got out there. Ray’s eyes were on him as she picked up her pace, not noticing the other boy coming from the boy’s locker room. Stiles and Ray collided and both fell backwards on their asses.

Allison had to jump over Ray’s body so that she didn’t trampled over the girl. Lydia kneeled down time help Ray up, blocking the boy she had ran into from asking if she was okay. Stiles stood and brushed himself off, giving one last look to Ray and Lydia before running off to join Allison and Scott. Everything seemed fine until the redhead froze and let out a small scream. Erica was falling from the climbing wall, at least forty feet in the air. Luckily, Scott was able to catch Erica just in time, but the stinging fear the blonde felt on her way down hit Ray as if she had been the one falling. She grabbed onto Lydia’s arm tight enough to leave a bruise.

Lydia’s scream left a ringing in Ray’s ears. She winced and rubbed them as everyone else sprinted toward where Erica fell. Lydia had been leaning over her, but her scream was definitely not loud enough to have caused Ray so much pain. . When Ray stood, her vision blurred slightly, and little floating stars swirled around her peripheral.

There was a growing crowd surrounding Erica now, but there wasn’t much they could do to help with the seizure. Scott had but the blonde on her side while everyone just watched in fear.

Ray couldn’t tell if it had just been seconds or if full blown minutes had gone by as she stared blankly at the blonde girl. An overwhelming sense of dread and darkness was clouding around Erica and sucking Ray in. She thought the feeling of falling would never end until a warm hand grabbed onto her shoulder, jolting Ray out of the swirling thoughts.

“Are you alright?” Stiles asked her.

In that moment, Ray didn’t know how to answer him, at least not in a way that wouldn’t make her seem crazy in front of the other students. She lied, “Yeah, yeah. For sure.”

By the time lunch rolled around, Ray was still feeling light headed. She began to wonder if she hit her head when she fell since her ears still had a slight buzz whenever the classroom around her got quiet. Thankfully the cafeteria was loud enough to drown out that buzzing sensation.

“This isn't a favor. It's a transaction,” Ray heard Boyd say.

Ray stopped on her way to Scott’s table to see what Stiles had gotten himself into. Her eyebrows raised at the Stilinski boy. She crossed her arms and asked, “This idiot isn’t bugging you, is he, Boyd?”

“Your boy here owes me fifty.”

“Really?” Stiles said, not at all sounding convincing, “‘Cuz I remember 20. I don't know. I have a really good verbal memory, and I remember 20. I remember that distinct twa sound, twa-nty.” He slid a twenty dollar bill across the lunch table.

“I said fifty. With the fa sound. Hear the difference?” Ray chuckled to herself while Stiles scrambled for a response. Boyd went on, “If you can't, I can demonstrate some other words with the "fa" sound.”

“Uh, no, no. I think I'm recalling it-now. Maybe I just got it confused with For. . ty.” The boy slid another twenty across the table. Boyd was unamused. Ray started digging through her backpack as Stiles went on, “Come on, man, have you seen the piece of crap jeep that I drive?”

“You seen the piece of crap bus that I take?” Boyd responded.

Ray placed two fives on the table. Boyd smiled and handed her a set of keys.

Stiles groaned, “Oh, come on-“

“You’re welcome,” Ray said as she handed him the keys.

“Okay, yes, thank you!” Stiles dramatically got up from the table and followed Ray over to Scott’s table.

“What are the keys for?” Ray asked as she sat across from Scott.

Stiles excitedly swung the keys around his pointer finger. He slipped onto the bench next to her, leaving enough room between them for a sheet of paper, maybe. “The rink!” He said proudly, “Tonight’s plans are officially in motion.”

Ray winced. “I don’t know if we should go tonight. . .”

“Oh my god, not you too!” Stiles whined, “Scotty’s already been trying to cancel!”

Scott sighed heavily. “Dude-there is like a killer lizard running around-“

“Which is exactly why we need to have a fun night out! To destress! Ray, don’t you agree?” Stiles asked.

Not going to lie, his pout almost fooled Ray into thinking he was right. She shook her head to gain back a sense of clarity then said, “Scott’s right. It’s dangerous. We should just stay in tonight and like-watch a movie or finish the Death Star or something-literally anything that isn’t skating.” She took the apple from his tray and bit into it.

Stiles blinked a few times then cleared his throat. “While that sounds-uh- nice and all-I just spent fifty dollars so that we would have the ice rink to ourselves for the night.”

“Forty, technically,” Ray said with a wink. She turn to Scott and said, “By the way, everyone owes Stiles ten. I’ll tell the girls after school.”

Scott shrugged and agreed, “That sounds fair.”

“So it’s settled. Ray, I’ll pick you up then Allison and we can all pick up Scotty from work and-“

“Actually,” Ray interrupted him, “I’m driving the girls.”

“You. . Are driving the girls. .,” Stiles said slowly as he watched Ray take another bite of his apple.

“Yeah! So we’ll meet you guys there.”

“Girls as in plural?” Stiles asked.

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you guys, Lydia is coming too! She’s going to show me how to skate.”

Scott nearly started choking on his bread from laughing. Stiles put his head in his hands and slumped over the lunch table. It was obvious that inviting Lydia had been the wrong move, but Ray didn’t see why. Was it awkward for Stiles because they had gone to winter formal together? Maybe he hadn’t been aware of Allison’s evil plan to make Ray jealous and he thought winter formal with Lydia was a real date. He probably still liked her and felt bad that their first date had gone so horribly.

Ray rubbed Stiles back and said, “Sorry, man. I didn’t know you still had a crush on her.”

“I don’t,” he insisted.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Scott asked Stiles who lifted his head to glare at his best friend.

“Tell me what?” What could they have been keeping from Ray? When neither of the boys dared to answer, she went on, “You guys don’t think the lizard creature is Lydia. .”

“Of course not,” Scott said at the same time Stiles said, “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it? The whole town is talking about what happened to her, and she deserves to have a little fun. Besides, we are the reason Peter even bit her in the first place. We can’t just ignore her.” Both boys cowered at Ray’s words. They knew she was right, and they felt guilty for trying to keep Lydia in the dark about everything that happened.

They couldn’t erase the town’s memory of Lydia going missing in the woods naked, but they could be there for Lydia. She was already excluded enough as is! Why exclude her from a fun night out with friends?

Speaking of Lydia, the clicking of heels echoed around the cafeteria. The three looked up, expecting to see the redhead enter. Instead of being met with Lydia, a blonde in a tight skirt and deadly looking four inch heels that made Ray’s ankle throb from just looking at them. Her eyes traveled up the body of the blonde then went wide when she recognized the girl’s face.

Lydia Martin approached their table, though her eyes were also on the blonde, just like everyone else in the room. “What the holy hell is that?”

“It’s Erica,” Scott answered her, sounding dazed.

Erica walked up to a random table and took something from a boy’s tray. The boy didn’t seem to mind. The blonde looked up and made eye contact with Ray. Her wink following caused Ray to blush and immediately advert her gaze. Ray’s eyes landed on the boy with a buzz cut next to her who’s jaw was slack. He was practically salivating as Erica left the room. Scott ran out after her to find out what the hell happened between gym class and now.

“Anyway,” Lydia said, pulling Stiles and Ray’s attention back to her, “Thank you for inviting me to skate! How did you guys even set that up?”

“Stiles bought the keys off of Boyd for the night, which reminds me! Everyone owes Stiles ten.”

“It’s fine,” Stiles insisted.

Lydia pulled a crisp twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and asked, “Do you have change?”

After school, Ray and Lydia headed over to Allison’s house to all do their homework together while they waited for Scott to get out of work. Skating was the last thing in the world Ray wanted to do, but she was excited to drive her friends for the first time. Her step dad was letting her borrow his truck for the day so that she could get more comfortable with driving stick. The drive to school that morning had been. . longer than anticipated, but it still beat riding her bike.

Allison’s father must have had a sixth sense, because as soon as Ray received a text from Scott saying he was out of work, the hunter came in the room to talk with his daughter. Lydia switched her position in the arm chair to resemble a model in a photo shoot. Ray snorted from Allison’s bed. At least Ray’s father wasn’t the only one Lydia was lusting over. That didn’t make Ray feel any better about her friend having a crush on her own father, but it was nice knowing Allison would feel the same discomfort.

After her dad finally left, Allison gave her friend lying on her bed a look of pity and asked, “You nervous?”

“Nervous?” Ray questioned, “To skate?”

“Yes, to skate,” Allison said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. “No! For your date!”

Ray waved her off. “This isn’t a-,” Suddenly she shot up from the bed and looked to her two friends in fear, “-Was this supposed to be a date?”

“Why else would Stiles rent out an entire ice rink?” Lydia asked, causing Allison to giggle.

Ray was rendered speechless. This felt like bowling all over again, except a million times worse. When Stiles had initially asked her to go skating, she kind of thought he was asking her on a date, but when she expressed that she couldn’t skate, he quickly added that Scott couldn’t either. She thought since Scott was going, it was just going to be a friendly hangout, which quite frankly their friend group needed after all the crazy shit they’ve been through.So Ray invited Lydia, not thinking it was a big deal.

Holy shit. She invited Stiles’s ex crush on a date with them.

Or was it a date? We’re Allison and Lydia just teasing her because they knew Ray had a crush? Maybe Stiles did intend for it to be a friendly outing. After all, why would he invite Scott on their first date?

“He didn’t say it was a date when he asked,” Ray pointed out as she reached for her jacket.

Allison and Lydia shared a look before the archer asked, “Well, then how did he ask you?” Both girls stood up to follow her out of Allison’s room.

“He said, ‘Do you want to go ice skating Friday night?’”

“And what did you say?” Lydia asked.

Ray shrugged. “I said no.” Both her friends sighed in disappointment.

At first Allison seemed a little hesitant to get into the truck, but seeing how confident Lydia was to slide across the bench to the middle seat made Allison warm up to the idea slightly. Ray drove very smoothly the entire way to the ice rink, only stalling once at a light, and that was only because Lydia asked something that completely threw off her focus.

“Just wondering,” Lydia said casually, “Peter Hale is like, dead, right? Like confirmed dead?”

“Uh-shit,” Ray cursed as she had to put it in neutral then restart the truck.

Allison answered, “Yes, he is dead. . .why?”

“No reason!” Lydia said as she flipped some hair off her shoulder then reached to turn up the radio, “Oh! I love this song!”

All three girls were grateful to get out of the awkward atmosphere in the truck when they finally made it to the ice rink. Scott and Stiles were already there, waiting with the front doors open. Allison ran up to Scott and dragged him into the rink, both sporting vibrant smiles and rosy cheeks. Lydia glided through the doors with her skates swung over her shoulder in a model like fashion. Ray stopped outside the rink and looked up at the building, clutching her backpack for dear life. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

Why skating?

“Oh, come on, Ray!” Stiles swung his arm around her shoulders to guide her through the doors. “You’ll have fun!”

Out of all the seats in the bleachers, Stiles just had to sit right next to Ray while they put on their skates. Lydia was a few rows below them and off to the side. She winked at Ray when Stiles sat down. Maybe the wink was meant to encourage Ray, but it only made her more nervous. Her hands were shaking so bad it was hard to even lace up her skates. She hoped they were tight enough because breaking an ankle isn’t how she wanted this horribly awkward, already ruined, non-date hangout to end.

“You cold?” Stiles asked, probably noticing her shaking.

“She is!” Lydia answered for her. “Do you have an extra jacket, Stiles?”

Ray let her hair fall like a curtain between her and the boy while she looked to her friend below them and mouthed, “Shut up!”

“I do!” Stiles wildly dug through the backpack he brought and pulled out an orange sweater.

Lydia made a face and said, “No other options? She’s wearing blue.”

“This is fine, Stiles, thank you,” Ray mumbled as she put the jacket on.

“Orange and blue, not a good combination. You pull it off though, Ray!” The last part sounded like an after thought.

“But it's the colors of the Mets,” Stiles said with a pout.

“Ah yes, the Mets, the best team in baseball,” Ray said sarcastically.

Stiles snorted. “Like the A’s are any better.”

“I’m sorry, who was it the Mets lost to in ‘73?”

“That was thirty-eight years ago,” Stiles pointed out.

“Okay well, at least everyone looks good in green,” Ray countered as she shoved her shoes in her backpack.

“Fine, okay-maybe orange and blue is not the best. Right, you know, um-sometimes there's other things you wouldn't think would be a good combination end up turning out to be, like, a perfect combination, you know? Like two people together. . Who nobody ever thought would be together ever. .”

“Like Allison and Scott?” Ray asked. She nodded two the two sitting on the bleachers about thirty feet away.

Stiles sighed and started digging through his bag again, not making eye contact. “Sure, yeah, like Allison and Scott.” He pulled out a Reese’s and offered it to Ray. She opened the package and handed him one.

“They’re so cute together.”

“Cute. Adorable.” Stiles agreed, but he sounded as if he didn’t. He angrily bit his Reese’s and glared at the couple.

“Raymona!” Lydia yelled from the bottom of the bleachers, sounded startlingly like the girl’s mother.

Stiles and Ray jumped and scooted further apart on instinct. Stiles’s eyes went wide at the sight of how angry Lydia looked with her hand on her hip. He nervously laughed and said, “I’ll-uh-meet ya on the ice.”

Once he was gone, Ray slowly scooted her way down the bleachers while the redhead impatiently waited like she was preparing to scold her child. Sure enough once Ray got to the bottom of the bleachers, Lydia started going off.

“What the hell was that?”

“What do you-“

“He was obviously talking about you two, and you directed the focus over to Scott and Allison! Listen, if you keep giving that boy mixed signals, he’s gonna move on to some girl who _actually_ catches onto his advances.”

Ray looked down at her hands, which were shaking again, even worse now. She kept making herself look like a fool in front of this boy, and now she had to skate in front of him! With her shitty balance, she didn’t even think she would make it to the rink! And now with the added pressure of this all being some date gone wrong. . Even if Lydia wasn’t here, Ray didn’t think she’d be able to flirt with Stiles in front of Scott.

“I don’t know what to do,” Ray admitted.

Lydia’s harsh tone dropped. She sat beside Ray and sighed. “You know, at first I felt bad for crashing this date, but now I’m thankful I came. You would be so lost without me.”

Ray didn’t glare at her friend or even disagree. Her shoulder’s slumped as she whispered, “I just don’t know how to act around him. I mean, he’s my friend. I can’t just like- hold his hand whenever I have the urge.”

“He likes you,” Lydia reminded her. “So just be yourself. Act like how you normally would, and if suddenly you feel like doing or saying something that might not be in your usual friend territory, do it.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do or say anything with these death traps tied to my feet!”

“That’s why I’m going to teach you how to skate! It’ll take like, ten minutes and then you’ll be skating into his arms. Trust me.”

Lydia stood then helped Ray up. The two walked toward the rink with Ray using Lydia’s arm as balance the whole way. Once Lydia helped Ray into the ice, she stepped onto the rink herself and smiled brightly.

“Oh my god,” Lydia gushed as she did circles around Ray, “It feels so good being on the ice again!”

Ray did not have the same feeling of enjoyment to be on the ice. Every muscle in her body was tensed up to hold her steady. Her brain could not compute how Lydia could be making this look so easy. She was too focused on trying not to eat shit that she didn’t think she’d even be able to turn herself, let alone to a pirouette.

Which Lydia did six in a row, by the way.

“Okay I’m ready to hear pointers now,” Ray called out to her.

“Keep your knees bent and focus on what’s in front of you, not your feet!”

Lydia did another spin then jumped and landed perfectly. She skated closer to Ray to grab the girl’s hand, forcing Ray to move from the safety of the wall. Lydia was flawlessly skating backwards as she guided her friend.

“That’s it!” Lydia said. She let her friend go and pushed her down the ice rink. “Don’t tense up!”

“Okay but, how do I stop?” Ray’s voice wavered.

“Point your toes inward!”

Ray tried that, but she was still going at an alarming speed toward the wall. “Oh god,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes and braced herself.

She could hear someone skate up next to her. Hopefully it was Lydia coming to redirect her and not Scott losing control over his own movements and about to run into her. Instead of ramming into the wall, she hit a body. The person was distinctly male and able to hold her up so that she didn’t fall backwards into her ass. In other words, it most definitely was not Scott or they’d both be on the ground.

Her cheeks instantly warmed, knowing it must have been Stiles she ran into. She glanced up at him and mumbled, “Shit, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let you hit the wall.”

Lydia zoomed up to them. “Or that’s another way you could stop, I suppose. . . Wanna go again?” Ray took the redhead’s hand, determined to try it again. Lydia dragged her away from Stiles then yelled over her shoulder, “Stilinski, go to the other side and catch her!”

Lydia skated much faster this time. She practically threw Ray across the ice toward Stiles like it was some sick game of catch. Ray panicked and tried stopping, only for it to slow her down slightly. Stiles pushed off the wall he had been leaning against to catch her again.

“Oof,” Ray said on impact. Her skates slipped out from under her. She was surprised Stiles was able to hold her up until she was able to find her footing.

“Thanks, freckles,” Ray said breathlessly.

“You almost had it that time!” Lydia shook Ray’s shoulders. “Down for one more try?”

Lydia Martin would surely be the death of her.

Ray looked up at Stiles, “You down to catch me again?”

“As many times as you want.”

Stiles took off for the other side of the rink. Lydia skated the girls to the middle of the rink for a clear shot. Her smile seemed to know something Ray didn’t.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Lydia told her.

Ray tilted her head in confusion, “For teaching me how to skate?”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Sure Captain Oblivious, for teaching you how to skate. Now, I’m not going to follow you this time so make your move.”

“My what?”

Instead of answering, Lydia just skated the two down to the center of the rink where she released her. Ray tried yet again to stop herself, but she was just going too fast, and before she knew it she was crashing into Stiles’s arms.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” Stiles joked.

“What, you don’t like me running into you over and over without improving?”

“Never said that.” Stiles gripped her hips a little tighter.

Oh, oh! Was this what Lydia meant about making a move? Okay, yes. She was in his arms now. This was the perfect time to say something. She bit her lip and thought for a second.

“Are you the devil because I bet it hurt when you fell.”

Stiles looked at her like she had three heads. “Wait-what?”

Oh shit, she mixed up that delivery, hadn’t she? She was racking her brain to find the right way of saying it, but suddenly her mind was completely void of all thoughts as if she never even learned a language.

“Um. . I don’t know. Ignore me.”

A bone chilling scream rang out from the center of the ice rink. Both teens quickly separated, but Ray still kept her hand on Stiles’s arm for balance. Lydia was kneeling on the ice, still screaming as if someone was attacking her. Ray shoved Stiles in the redheads direction and yelled, “Get her!”

It took Ray an extra minute, and she had to force herself to fall on her hip to stop the momentum of the skates, but Ray eventually made it to her friend’s side to replace Stiles’s hold on her. Lydia finally stopped screaming and clawing at the ice below them. The ice rink seemed to tilt back and forth in Ray’s blurred vision. The ringing in her ears was back.

“I see him,” Lydia whispered. A chill ran up Ray’s spine at her next words. “Peter Hale. I still see him.”

That night Ray was on a video call with Scott and Stiles. While the boys argued over whether to tell Lydia about the supernatural, Ray disappeared from the screen for a while then came back with an ice pack for her hip. The frozen peas stung through the thin material of her sleep shirt, but she would regret not icing it in the morning.

“I think Lydia just has PTSD,” Ray announced.

“Thank you,” Stiles said.

“-But I also think we should tell her everything.”

“See?” Scott said. “She has the right to know. How’s your hip, Ray?”

“Uhm-,” Ray lifted her shirt to examine the nearly black bruise along her side. Thankfully it was just out of frame and the boys couldn’t see. “It’s doing just fine.”

Just fine definitely wasn’t fine at all. By the time Monday rolled back around, Ray still didn’t think she could handle a whole bike ride to school. Luckily, Danny felt bad for her and offered her a ride to school. She would have to go early with him to lacrosse practice, but she didn’t mind drawing in her sketch book on the bleachers while the boys got yelled at by Coach.

“Stilinski! Get your head out of the clouds! Run that drill again!”

That was the only bad thing about watching lacrosse practice: Stiles. They hadn’t spoken much at all since the ice rink, and when they did it was always in the group chat with Scott. Even if they did talk one on one, what would Ray say? “ _Sorry I’m awkward and can’t even deliver the oldest pickup line in the book.” “Sorry I invited your ex-crush on our date, but in my defense, I did’t know it was a date.” “Sorry I don’t know how to act around you.”_

Ray looked up from her sketch of the lacrosse field to watch Stiles run through the obstacle course a second time. This time his shot made it passed Danny onto the goal. The boy yelled out in surprise just as one of his teammates playing defense tackled him.

“Come on, Greenburg! You know that would be a foul in game!” Coach yelled, “Liners! Go!”

Later on, Ray stood in the lunch line with her friend Gabby who nudged her and asked, “So? How was it?” Of course Gabby was referring to Friday’s date at the ice rink that Ray had managed to ruin.

Ray ran a hand through her hair and sighed before answering, “It was like someone handed me the answers to the SATs, and as I was about to read them, I tripped and fell and dropped the answers in a paper shredder.”

Her friend cringed and looked across the cafeteria where Stiles and Scott were talking about something that looked urgent. Gabby flipped her hair out of her face and said, “Whatever. Don’t think about one bad date. I’ve been waiting _years_ for you to admit you like Stilinski. Things will work out, trust me.”

“How do you know that? Has being with Greenberg for like a month made you a relationship expert?”

Gabby slapped Ray’s arm with her empty lunch tray before adding a cup of peaches to it. “Don’t patronize me, Ray. You know I live vicariously through romcoms, and your situation is a movie waiting to be written.”

Ray snorted at that. She couldn’t help her sarcastic tone, “Yeah. Stiles and I are just like those hot Hollywood actors. Even hotter, actually.”

“But you are!” Gabby insisted. “Well, I mean, Stiles isn’t the most conventionally attractive crayon in the box. Pretty sure the most attractive guy in this school is my Fletchie-“

“First of all,” Ray interrupted, “please stop calling him ‘Fletchie’ in front of me. I am going to puke one of these days. And secondly, ‘conventionally attractive crayon in the box’? Really?”

“So I’m not the best with analogies, sue me-,” Gabby shrugged. “But what I’m trying to say is- the whole friends since childhood and then you fall in love but also have this odd ‘we hate each other’ sexual tension? _That_ is a movie I would watch.”

The two girls paid for their meals then walked toward a table. Ray continued the conversation as they sat down, “Well, it might be fun to watch but living in it is horrible and awkward. And like two weeks ago-god it was so embarrassing- I literally called him out for not directly asking me on a date.”

“You did not!”

“I said he like-tricked me into the dates or something since I never know we are on them until after. . Anyway, I’m an idiot and didn’t realize Friday was a date again until I already invited Lydia.”

“Martin?” Gabby’s jaw dropped. “As in the girl he was in love with last year?”

“Yes! Because Scott and Ali were coming and-ugh. I don’t know I mean, we hang out with Scott and Ali all the time, so how was I supposed to know this time would be different?”

Gabby rubbed her friend’s back. “I would have been confused too. He needs to be more direct. You both do.”

Ray took a long drink from her water bottle and wondered how the hell she was going to manage being more direct when she had barely come to terms with the fact that she liked the boy. He wasn’t some kid she’d never see again while on vacation. Stiles was her long time friend. There was so much on the line.

“Ray!” Scott was running toward their table full speed. “Ray, Ray, Ray!”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” Ray said sounding bored while Gabby giggled.

“Have you guys seen Boyd?”

“Huh,” Gabby said as she tapped her fork against her tray, “Now that you mention it, no. He wasn’t in art class.”

“Boyd takes art?” Ray said in shock.

“Yup.”

“Vernon Boyd, big, strong, ROTC club member, Boyd?” Ray clarified.

“He’s really great with water color,” Gabby said with a shrug.

“Huh.” Ray wondered what his work looked like.

“Ray,” Scott spoke lowly, “Can you come with me a sec?”

“Sure,” Ray tried to sound casual, but Gabby was still suspicious off her odd behavior. Before Gabby could ask any questions, Scott and Ray ran out of the cafeteria. Stiles was waiting for them down the hall.

Upon seeing him, Ray did a 180 and started walking back toward the cafeteria.

Scott grabbed her arm, “Oh no you don’t.”

“Oh yes, I do.”

“Whatever you are mad about, get over it. We have to find Boyd!” Scott told her.

Stiles nervously ran a hand over his head as he watched Scott and Ray argue down the hall. He looked like he was holding his breath. Ray felt just as nervous, if not more so. Sitting next to him in second and third period had felt like she was walking on eggshells, trying not to bring up any topics that might remind them of how terrible ice skating had gone.

“Fine! Okay. I’ll put it on the back burner, but just-just don’t leave me alone with him, okay?”

“Deal,” Scott promised. The two neighbors walked over to Stiles as Scott told him, “Ray and I are going to go to the ice rink to see if he's there. And if he's not at home, you call me, got it?”

Stiles slowed to a stop, looking unsure about the plan.

“What?” Scott asked.

Stiles sighed. “Maybe we should let him. Boyd, you know, man? You said Derek's giving them a choice, right?”

“Choice or not, he still deserves a warning about the hunters and the giant lizard creature that’s apparently running around town,” Ray pointed out.

“We can't just let it happen,” Scott added.

“You gotta admit, Erica looks pretty good,” Stiles said, “You know, the word "sensational" comes to mind.”

Ray frowned. It was true. Erica looked amazing last Friday. Every guy in school was talking about her.

“Yeah?” Scott asked, “How good do you think she's gonna look with a wolfsbane bullet in her head?”

“Alright, all I'm saying is maybe this one isn't totally your responsibility.”

“They all are,” Scott insisted.

“And do we trust Derek to have three teenagers in his pack?” Ray asked.

“Exactly,” Scott agreed, “You know this thing's gonna get out of control. That makes me responsible.”

Ray nodded. “If we don’t stop him, who will?”

Stiles put his hands up in surrender, “Alright, alright-I'm with you guys. And I also gotta say this new - found heroism is making me very attracted to you both.”

Heat rushed to Ray’s cheeks. Thankfully Scott took Stiles words as a joke and said, “Shut up.”

“No, seriously. Do you wanna just try making out for a sec?” Stiles asked Scott who was choosing to ignore him. “Just to see how it feels! Scott? Scotty?” The werewolf walked through the doors and out into the parking lot, leaving Ray to deal with Stiles who’s attention was now solely on her.

“Don’t look at me, Stilinski. I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole.”

“Pft. Keep it in your pants, Nerine. I didn’t offer it to you. . . Unless-“

“No,” Ray said firmly before following Scott’s lead and exiting to the parking lot.

Being back at the ice rink gave Ray chills. It was like Lydia’s scream still echoed and vibrated the ice. Walking across the ice in sneakers was easier than the skates, but she still struggled to keep balance as she followed Scott across the rink. Boyd was driving the Zamboni across the rink to smooth out all the lines the group had made a few nights prior.

It was a relief to see him sitting on top of the giant machine. Maybe Derek hadn’t gotten to him yet, or maybe Derek wasn’t going to at all.

“Boyd. I just wanna talk,” Scott called out. Boyd continued to ignore them. “Hey, come on, Boyd, please. Did Derek tell you everything? And I don't just mean going out of control on the full moon. I mean everything.”

“He told me about the hunters.”

“And that's not enough for you to say no?”

“They have the whole preserve set up with traps to kill. There’s no code anymore,” Ray added.

“Whatever you want there's other ways to get it,” Scott promised him.

Boyd turned off the Zamboni and said, “I just wanna not eat lunch alone every day.”

“You are always welcome to join us,” Ray offered.

“And if you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek,” Scott added.

“That really hurts, Scott,” Derek’s voice behind them made Ray jump and grab onto Scott’s arm for support. The ice in front of her seemed like the top layer had melted, causing her to almost slip. She tried to act casual as Derek went on, “I mean, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus. Erica, how's life been for you since we met?”

Erica smirked and pretended like she was thinking, “Hm. In a word? Transformative.” Her fangs came out, and she let out a threatening growl.

Again, the ice surrounding Ray started to melt. The mermaid crouched down to examine it then looked across the rink for other puddles. Maybe someone turned off the AC or. . Whatever kept the ice from melting? She reached out to touch a piece of solid ice to see if it was warming up. It melted as her hand hovered over it.

“Isaac?” Derek asked.

The blue eyed boy said, “Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive, but other than that, I'm great.”

Ray stood and frowned at the boy. He caught her gaze for a second before looking down, almost in shame. His head tilted when he noticed the puddle surrounding her and Scott.

“Okay, hold on,” Scott said, “This isn't exactly a fair fight.”

“Then go home, Scott,” Derek warned.

Suddenly Scott’s claws were out. A deep growl vibrated from his chest before he said, “I meant fair for them.”

Isaac and Erica both started charging at Scott. Ray out her hand out and yelled, “Wait!” The ice in front of Erica melted, causing her to slip.

“You bitch!” Erica yelled before getting up, now directing her anger toward Ray instead of Scott.

“Sorry!” Ray didn’t know why she was apologizing. After all, she hadn’t melted the ice on purpose, and it wasn’t like Erica didn’t deserve it.

Isaac jumped and tried to claw at Scott, but Scott threw him to the side. He stood in front of Ray and yelled, “Get back!”

Ray didn’t have to be told twice. She backed up into the Zamboni and gasped in fear as Erica tried to get around Scott to claw at her. Scott shoved the blonde into the Zamboni then picked her up and threw her back to Derek. He grabbed Isaac by the shirt and slid him across the ice back toward the alpha as well.

“Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you. He's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him. He makes you feel like he's giving you some kind of gift when all he's done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs!”

“It's true. It is about power,” Derek admitted. His eyes flowed bright red before the fangs came out. Derek roared them came at Scott, but Ray stepped forward and shoved Scott out of the way.Derek threw her to the side like it was nothing. She landed in a puddle on her bad hip, causing her to curse and roll on her her back.

Meanwhile, Derek knocked Scott against the Zamboni and clawed at his chest. Ray screamed for him to stop as Scott fell to the ground. She crawled over to him and started putting pressure on his chest. Scott hissed out in pain.

Ray looked up at Derek and practically growled as she yelled, “You are literally just proving our point, asshole!”

Thunder boomed outside, loud enough to shake the entire ice rink. Her eyes glowed a bright turquoise. Derek stumbled back to his betas then wisely decided to leave. Boyd stepped down from the Zamboni carefully, not wanting to alarm Ray.

“You don't wanna be like them,” Scott told him.

“You're right,” Boyd said. He lifted his shirt to reveal a bite on his side. “I wanna be like you.” He said that, but he followed Derek and his pack out of the rink.

Ray helped Scott up and asked, “You’re gonna heal, right?”

Scott winced. “I should, but-ah-drive me to the clinic. I need to patch this up so my mom doesn’t see it.”

“Your mom could be patching it up for you,” Ray reminded him as she swung his arm over her shoulder to help him walk.

When they finally got inside the clinic, Scott groaned and lifted up his shirt to reveal the deep cut on his side.

“Why aren’t you healing?” Ray asked, sounding like she was about to start crying.

“Because it’s from an alpha,” a voice answered. Ray gasped and instantly hid behind Scott. Luckily the voice had come from Scott’s boss who added, “I think we better have that talk now.”

A body, a human body, was lying on the examination table. It’s torso was completely tore up with claw marks. The body should have been bleeding out, but it was a pale blue color as if all the blood had already been drained. Ray clutched desperately onto her necklace and closed her eyes.

Deaton waved Scott over to help him with his injury. Ray followed close behind her friend and tried her best not to look at the dead body on the examination table. Her stomach flipped from the thick smell as she got closer.

“They're coming back, so we don't have much time to talk,” Deaton told them.

Ray worried who “they” were while Scott asked, “What is that?”

“Rubbing alcohol,” the vet said simply. “You don't want it to get infected, do you? You will heal the same, just not as quickly, because of Derek. But- Ray, you can help.”

“Me?,” Ray pointed herself in disbelief, “I can help?”

“Yes. Sea Nymphs have the ability to heal those closest to them. Scott is your best friend, right?” Deaton turned on the sink and dipped a rag under the running water. “Hold this against the cut.” Ray took the dripping rag and did as told. Deaton went on, “Now, close your eyes and imagine his would healing.”

Ray attempted to picture Scott’s wound closing in her head. The tips of her fingers started to warm. Scott jolted away from her, causing her to open her eyes and say, “Sorry! Did I hurt you?”

Scott was smiling. “No, no. I just-I didn’t expect it to tickle.”

Deaton gave Ray an encouraging smile. She closed her eyes and focused again. Her whole palm heated up and suddenly the rag felt dry on her finger tips. She took it off on Scott’s side to reveal his perfectly healed skin. Not a speck of blood was left on him or the towel.

“Whoa,” Ray mumbled in amazement.

“Sea Nymphs can only do that with their family or those who are part of their pack.”

“Sea Nymphs have packs? Like Alphas and betas?” Ray asked.

“Something similar.”

“Okay, how do you know all this? Actually, how- how do you know anything?” Scott asked his boss.

The vet sighed. “It's a long story. What I can tell you, is that I know about your kind. Your kind? I can help. This-,” he looked at the examination table, “-This is something different.”

“Well, do you know what did it?”

“No. But the Argents will,” Ray flinched at the mention of the hunters. Deaton went on, “And this is the crucial part, they'll have a record or book. It'll have descriptions, histories, notations, of all the things that they've discovered.”

“All the things? How many different things are there?” Scott looked to Ray as if she would know. Suddenly his eyes went wide. “They’re here.”

A shiver ran down Ray’s spine. “Who?”

“The Argents.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you guys believe me if I said I had this one finished a day early? No? Well you would be right not to because I didn’t edit until last minute.
> 
> Did you guys see the reunion! I’m so happy Arden was in it. Kira was one of my faves for sure. . I wonder how her and Ray will get along. .
> 
> I wish I could send y’all a thank you card for reading! <3


	16. Don't Get Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 8.49k. . I am sorry. My too much gene went a little crazy this week. . But hey, this story hit 100K WORDS?!? Thanks for sticking with me this far.
> 
> We’ve got a long ways to go enjoy!(:

Two frightened teens huddled in the dark corner of a veterinarian’s office and tried not to make a sound. Raymona Nerine felt like she couldn’t control her newfound abilities, and she couldn’t help but read her best friend’s emotions. His fear piled on top of her own, weighing down her heart. It was getting hard to breathe in the darkness of that office. Being able to hear the Argents on the other side of the office door didn’t help the tightening in her chest.

Her anxiety was a heavy, thick stench that Scott couldn’t ignore. He put his arm around his best friend’s shoulder then tucked her head to his chest. Her tears created a wet spot on his shirt over his heart.

Gerard Argent loosely threatened the supernatural, saying killers come in all ages, sizes and shapes. Hearing the hunter’s threats somehow wasn’t the scariest thing the two teens heard that night. The veterinarian ended the conversation with a warning for the hunters. One that sent chills down Ray’s back.

“I'm saying you should be afraid. Be very afraid. Because in the natural world, predators with paralytic toxins use them to catch and eat their prey. This prey wasn't eaten. That means whatever killed him only wanted to kill him. In fact, killing may be its only purpose.”

Ray stared blankly at the homework lying on her desk later that night. Writing definitions for English seemed absolutely fucking pointless when there was an unstoppable creature of the night running around their small town, killing people. She put down her pen then took herself to the kitchen to grab some ibuprofen and an ice pack for her hip. Her step brother was waiting for his sleepy time tea to be out of the microwave as she brushed passed him to get to the medicine cabinet.

“Sore from all your workouts?” Danny mused.

Ray popped three pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry. “Yes, but I also fell skating the other day.”

“Ouch. . So you don’t want a ride early tomorrow morning?”

“I was thinking about doing this crazy thing called not working out and instead sleeping an extra hour,” Ray said as she poured herself a glass of water. “Don’t know how you guys do morning practices every day.”

Danny grabbed his tea out of the microwave and held it up while sayin, “I drug myself to sleep.”

“That’s one way of getting sleep, I guess,” Ray mumbled before drinking her water and side eyeing her brother.

“Well, we are leaving at 6:45 of you want to join us.”

“Who is us?”

“Scott asked if I would drive him and Stilinski tomorrow since his jeep is in the shop.”

What happened to the jeep? Ray hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. “You are willingly driving Stiles?”

“Well, it’s not like I have to go way out of the way to pick him up. He’s spending the night at Scott’s.”

“He is?”

“How am I managing to keep better tabs on your boyfriend than you are?”

“Well for starters, he’s not my boyfriend-“

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said carelessly over his shoulder as he left the kitchen with his tea, “Night, Raymona.”

Her curiosity wouldn’t let her rest. The whole way back up to her room she kept wondering why Stiles would be spending the night with Scott on a school night. The curtain to her bedroom window flapped when a gush of wind blew into her room. Ray squinted at the window then glanced at her homework. The cardigan on the back of her desk chair was pulled over her shoulders right before her bare feet stepped out onto the roof.

Might as well pay Scotty a quick visit just to see how his talk with Allison went at the preserve tonight. . . Maybe he got some information from her about what her family was planning to do about the kanima.

Scott opened his bedroom window as she was jumping from the tree to his roof. He stuck his head out and smiled at Ray who suddenly felt like she had been caught by her parents sneaking out.

“He’s in the shower,” Scott told her.

“Who?” Ray tried to play it off, but she could feel her own heart sputter. Scotty’s wolf sense would definitely be able to detect her lie.

Ray slightly stumbled as she climbed through her neighbor’s window. He quickly started scooping up dirty clothes from the floor and shoving them into his hamper now that she was there. His stereo was playing the local classic rock station, loud enough to be heard from the running shower. Ray sat on the edge of Scott’s bed while he continued to tidy up.

“What happened to his jeep?” She whispered so that the boy in the shower couldn’t hear.

“Erica tore some part out of it. Then at the mechanics. . the kanima was there.”

Ray’s initial reaction was to ask if Stiles was okay, but he was obviously alive and in the shower. Instead she asked, “What happened?”

“Stiles’s jeep was on the lift. The kanima paralyzed the mechanic and then. .lowered the jeep on top of him.”

“Oh, oh god,” Ray grabbed her necklace, though it didn’t soothe her stomach from getting sick from that mental image.

“And Stiles thinks the kanima recognized him somehow.” Scott flopped onto his bed, face dig into his pillow to muffle his voice as he said, “I hate it here.” The running water cut out. Ray’s anxiety skyrocketed. Scott lifted his head from the pillow to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ray said with a sigh. She laid back on his bed and observed his slow moving ceiling fan. “Nothing is wrong, per say.”

“But nothing is right either?” Scott guessed.

“Exactly.”

The door to the bathroom opened. Ray didn’t look up as Stiles asked, “Are you joining the sleepover?”

“My mom would kill me,” Ray answered instantly.

“Then get the hell out of my spot.” Stiles walked over and stood over Ray. He had his hands on his hips, his very shirtless hips. Ray instantly sat up and scooted to the foot of the bed so that he could have his space.

Scott chuckled and said, “Dude, be nice. She came over here all worried about you.”

“I did not!” Ray claimed. Her pink cheeks said otherwise.

“You were worried about me? Oh, Ray, you do care!” Stiles said sarcastically. Scott hit him in the face with a pillow.

Stiles just laughed and wacked the pillow back at Scott. After that he shook out his hand and winced.

Ray frowned then asked, “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Stiles made a fist and released it a few times as he said, “Nothing. It’s just still kind of asleep.”

“Does it hurt?” Scott asked, clearly concerned.

“Let me see-,” Ray insisted as she grabbed his hand. She started needing his palm with her thumbs.

“Are you healing him?” Scott asked.

“No, my mom gets cramps in her legs all the time. Marcus always gives her massages.”

“Wait, whoa, hold on. Healing? Did I hear that right? You can heal people all the sudden?” Stiles asked.

Ray didn’t have to explain herself because Scott proudly answered, “She also can melt water, and she totally made Erica trip and fall at the ice rink.”

“Good,” Stiles said, “She deserves it after fucking up my jeep.”

“The melting ice thing was totally on accident,” Ray admitted. She sighed then asked, “Is your hand feeling better yet? My thumbs are tired.”

“Not yet,” Stiles said.

Scott smirked. “He’s lying.”

Ray let go of Stiles hand and said, “You know, if you want an excuse to hold my hand, you could just ask.”

Stiles smirked lazily. “Really?”

“No,” Ray said with a smile. She stood and walked toward the window.

His eyes narrowed. “You are evil, you know that?”

“Guys,” Scott whined, “Don’t fight tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Scotty. I’m heading out to sleep anyway. Lock your window.”

“Yes, _Mom_ ,” Scott said dramatically.

The next day at school, Raymona leaned over in her desk to whisper, “Hey, do you want to work on lab homework at lunch?”

“Étudiantes,” Mrs Morrell’s scolding tone came quickly. She didn’t even have to say it, her students knew she was warning them to speak in French.

The problem was, Ray had been in this class for over seven months now, and she still wasn’t able to even ask that simple question in French.

Allison, on the other hand, was fluent in French and easily responded, “Ça sonne bien pour moi.” Ray stared blankly at the girl until Allison clarified, “Sure, that sounds good to me.”

It was as if a lightbulb went off in Ray’s head, “Does bien mean the same thing in French as it does in Spanish. .?”

“You are hopeless in this class,” Lydia stated from behind her.

“Oh contrayer,” Ray butchered as she turned to face the redhead, “I’m hopeless at everything I do.”

“It’s ‘au contraire’, and being hopeless at everything isn’t even contrary to what I just said,” Lydia fired back.

“I’m taking art next year,” Ray grumbled to herself. That was probably for the best.

The air outside was refreshing. When Allison suggested they have lunch outside while they worked, Ray feared it would be too windy. Luckily the wind from that morning had died down to a slight breeze and the clouds covering the sun had disappeared, letting it warm the earth.

It was almost unbelievable how quick the two girls worked on their lab assignment without distraction. They were on the last page with thirty minutes of lunch left! Allison had such a calm presence while she was writing down an answer, like she enjoyed the work and wasn’t just trying to get it done for the grade. Ray rested her chin in the palm of her hand and smiled as she watched her lab partner fill out her part of the assignment.

“I love your earrings” Ray blurted out.

“Thank you! They are from this woman in San Francisco who used to sell through my mom’s boutique, or, well we called it a boutique, but half of it was also a thrift store.”

“What was it like in the city? Did you guys live above the store?”

Allison laughed. “There was a small one bedroom apartment above the store, but it was pretty dingy. We mostly used it for storage and had a townhouse a few blocks away.”

“A townhouse? Like from Full House?”

“Well,” Allison thought about it for a second, “The outside was like it, but the show doesn’t really do justice for what it’s like on the inside of those.” She handed Ray their lab work so that she could do the next problem.

Ray folded the corner of the paper then asked, “Do you miss it?”

“The city? Not really. But I do miss this one noodle bar that was by my house. .”

“We should go!” Ray offered. She felt the need to add, “With Lydia of course. Like a girls’ trip. .” In the distance behind Allison, Ray’s old lab partner was headed their direction. “Oh come on. I can’t get through one lab assignment without him trying to distract me?”

Allison looked over her shoulder to see who Ray was complaining about. “Oh! He’s coming over here for me. I sent him with a message for Scott earlier.”

“Of course,” Ray mumbled as she looked down to focus on the lab work. Learning Stiles wasn’t coming to bug her shouldn’t have soured her mood, but here she was acting like a little kid and ignoring him as he walked up. In her defense, she was afraid that if she looked at him she would picture him shirtless standing over her again which would be totally bad because that happened while she was on her neighbor’s bed, their mutual best friend.

Great. Now she was thinking about it anyway. Shit.

Allison laughed at something Stiles said, drawing Ray’s attention back to the conversation. The hunter’s daughter seemed fluster as she spoke, “I think you mean-“

“No,” Stiles cut her off firmly, “I mean bestiary. And the two of you, I don't want to know what's going on in your heads.”

Ray tucked the completed assignment away in her textbook then asked, “What did I miss?”

“Scott and Allison have a one track mind,” Stiles informed her.

“That’s nothing new,” Ray said plainly.

Allison cut in to save herself from embarrassment, “Okay, anyways, um. Can you describe this thing?”

“Uh, it's probably like a book. Old, worn-“

“Like, bound in leather?” Allison held up Ray’s sketchbook as an example. Ray’s heart plummeted to her chest. She had to sit on her own hands on an attempt to act casual and not rip the book from her friend’s grasp. “I’ve seen him with something like that.”

“Great!” Stiles said as he ran off to tell Scott.

Ray waited for Allison to put down her sketchbook then slyly slipped it into her backpack for safe keeping.

After Stiles was out of earshot, Allison asked Ray, “So what’s up with you two? Did the date not go well?”

“Other than the fact that it ended with Lydia screaming bloody murder?”

“Good point.” Allison opened a library book then asked, “Have you decided if you are going to write your history final on your mom’s side of the family yet?”

Things had changed drastically since the last time Ray thought about the history final. Looking into her mom’s side of the family terrified her now that she knew why her abuelo left Mexico. Maybe her father’s side of the family was normal. It was possible he was the only one of his kind if he was bitten and turned like Scott. Could sea nymphs turn from a bite?

“I. . Have not thought about it at all to be honest.”

“Well, you have a couple more months to figure it out,” Allison reassured.

Stiles sprinted towards them and had to use the table to stop his momentum. He spoke between heavy breaths, “Where- does he- keep it?“

Both girls took deep breaths, trying to calm down from his surprising entrance. Allison put down her book and stared up at the sky for a moment like it held the answer to her questions.

“I don’t know really. I guess he would have to keep it in his office?”

“His office!” Stiles repeated as he ran off again.

Allison shook her head as she watched the boy. She turned back to Ray and said, “Really? That’s the one that’s got you too flustered to make a move?”

Ray scoffed. “I’ve seen Scott eat four worms in my lifetime. You aren’t one to talk.”

“Fair. .,” Allison picked up her book then immediately put it back down to say, “Four? Seriously?”

“Sorry to ruin your image of Scott, but yes four. And two of those happened within the last six months.”

“That’s. .absolutely disgusting.”

“Yes, all men are.”

A few moments pass by then Allison casually said, “You know, Stiles bought out an entire ice rink then you invited a fifth wheel to our double date. I think you confused him.”

Ray put her head in her hands. “I’m and idiot. I am aware.”

“Just flirt with him to show him you’re still interested.”

“Flirt?! Allison, have you met me?”

“Just do that arguing thing you do.”

“Wouldn’t that just be sending more mixed signals?”

Allison nodded. “You’re right. What if you just wished him good luck for tonight’s game? That’s not too overly flirty. You can handle it.”

“Yeah. .,” Ray started spacing out, imagining herself confidently wishing Stiles good luck. She couldn’t always play it off as just being friendly if he wasn’t interested. “Yeah. . I can totally manage that.”

“Don’t get awkward and make sure to smile when you do it,” Allison advised.

Stiles burst out of the front doors of the school, heading straight toward them again. Ray sat up straight and her face went red. Her hands kind of felt tingly, and she wondered if that was a premonition of a heart attack.

“I said don’t get awkward,” Allison repeated.

“I-“

Stiles practically fell onto the table. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath from all the running. Ray reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out Scott’s inhaler that Stiles kept with him just in case.

The boy took in a large puff of the inhaler then said all at once, “You know, drug dealers have been using disposable cellphones pretty successfully for years.”

“My parents check every call, email and text message I send. Trust me, they'd find it,” Allison told him.

“Fine, fine. I’ll keep playing messenger. Can you get the book?”

“Not without his keys.”

At the end of the day, Ray found herself repeating Allison’s advice like a mantra. Just tell him good luck and smile. It’s simple. Just tell him good luck and maybe that she’d be at the game, then walk away. Smile and walk away. Don’t get awkward. Just tell him good luck and- oh god.

A different girl, Harley, had gotten to Stiles first, stopping to talk to him at his locker about something that happened in their last period. It felt like Ray’s heart was pounding in her ears as she stood in the middle of the hallway, twenty feet from their exchange. A few students accidentally bumped into her, not realizing she was there since everyone was moving so fast to get out of the school.

Harley turned and noticed Ray, offering her a bright smile. Ray opened her mouth to say something, but immediately shut it and opted for just giving an awkward wave back. She turned on her heal and hightailed it around the corner so that Harley and Stiles didn’t see her cheeks go red from embarrassment.

A littered bulletin board seemed like a fine enough place to bang her head against. Ray continued resting her forehead against the board as she cursed to herself, “ _Idiot_.”

“Ray?”

The girl yelped and spun around. Stiles Stilinski was looking at her in concern. His eyes landed on her forehead which she quickly covered with her hand. It was probably bright red from banging it against the fucking wall like an idiot. _Why_? Why was she such an idiot?

“Are you okay?” He reached out to remove her hand from her forehead, accessing the damage.

“No-I mean yes! I’m okay! I’m-uh,” Ray was panicking. She tried to remember the advice Allison gave. It seemed so simple at the time, but now she was struggling remembering what to do. First she was supposed to wish him good luck. . Then what came next?

“You hit your head. .?”

“It’s nothing,” she insisted. “Uh-anyway! Good luck at the game tonight.”

Stiles shrugged. “Coach never plays me. I won’t need the luck. .”

Ray nervously tapped on the strap of her backpack then asked, “Maybe we could hang out after the game and go through the bestiary, you know, if all goes well.”

“Yeah!” Stiles cleared his throat and then tried to sound more casual, “Yeah, no, totally. You could come over and we could like-read through it-together.”

“Or we could just. . Hang out,” Ray offered. She was surprised those words came out of her own mouth so easily. It gave her a boost of confidence to add, “Just us.”

That night at the game Allison was able to get her grandfather’s keys. Stiles slipped away with them unnoticed. Everything was going to plan. . Except for the actual game plan on the field. The other team had a massive player, like two people stacked on top of each other in a trench coat massive. He was knocking out people left and right. Eventually Coach pulled Danny from goal to play defense, but that didn’t last long. Now Ray was holding an ice pack to her step brother’s head as they sat on the bench.

“Danny,” the coach said desperately as he held up a peace sign, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Four?” Oh no. That didn’t sound good.

“Say two.”

“Two?”

“Perfect, get out there, come on. Get out there and have a stick.”

“Even with him in, we're still short one player, Coach,” Ray pointed out.

“Well, where’s Stilinski? Huh?” Raymona’s shrug only made Coach angrier. “How about you go find Stilinski and drag his ass onto the field because if I do it, it isn’t going to be pretty.”

As Raymona ran through the school parking lot, she couldn’t care less about the game and if they were going to win. She only had one worry on her mind: where was Stiles? Her mind was jumbled with possible scenarios he could have gotten himself into. It had been twenty minutes since he texted the group chat that there wasn’t anything in the office. Why hadn’t he come back yet? Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to over work itself and pull her into a panic.

A flash of strawberry blonde in the corner of her eye made Ray halt to a stop. Her feet kicked up gravel from the momentum, but the sound of pebbles dropping didn’t drown out the quiet sob that could be heard from the small car. Suddenly every other problem going on felt like it could handle itself. Ray tapped on the driver’s side window and waited for the other girl to roll it down.

“Did Stiles send you?” Lydia asked through sniffles.

Ray looked over her shoulder at the school, expecting Stiles to be there for some reason. “No, he didn’t. I was looking for him though. .”

Lydia pointed to the main doors. “He went that way.”

It was tempting to run in that direction, but finding out why Lydia was crying seemed much more important in that moment. Ray glanced at the school doors one last time before asking, “Can I come sit with you?”

Lydia reluctantly unlocked her car to let the other girl in. As Ray slid into the passenger seat, Lydia told her, “I’m fine, honestly. . You can go find him.”

“You don’t have to be fine,” Ray told her. “Besides, Stiles can handle himself.” She hoped that was true.

It was silent for a few moments while Lydia stared out the window at the school. Ray closed her eyes and focused on reading the redhead’s emotions. She was frightened, embarrassed and slightly frustrated. Lydia Martin was the top student in their class. Ray knew she was probably trying to piece together what really happened to her at the dance since the doctors didn’t seem to have answers.

“Cool glove,” Ray said, trying to sound as aloof as possible. She didn’t want to sound judgemental, though she did desperately want to ask why the girl was sporting pink gloves all day and still chose to wear one on just her right hand.

“Thanks,” Lydia said shortly as she tugged the glove on tighter.

Some others had trickled out into the parking lot. The early leavers trying to beat the crowd right before the game ended. Both girls looked in the mirror’s on their respective sides of the car and watched the people get into the car behind them.

Lydia put her head in her gloved hand and mumbled, “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“If I told you everything I’ve seen, you’d think I was crazy too,” Ray said softly.

“I-,” Lydia tapped the steering wheel then sniffled again, trying to compose herself. “I don’t just see glimpses of him. I really see him.”

Ray wasn’t going to sit there and pretend she knew anything about PTSD and the effects it had on people, but how terrified Lydia seemed in that moment of admission seemed off. There had to be something more going on. Maybe the bite had affected her in some way. Since Peter died that night, maybe Lydia had some connection with him. That wasn’t exactly something Ray could just flat out tell the girl. .

“I believe you.”

Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

“Lydia, look at me,-“ Ray turned in her seat to look her friend directly in the eyes. “I believe you.”

The redhead’s face faltered for a moment, showing a brief sign of relief before hardening back up. “Then you must be crazier than I am.”

A large crowd left the lacrosse field now. Most were cheering and smiling. Beacon Hills must have won another match, pushing them further in the semi-finals. They only needed to win one more match before the championship game next month.

“Looks like they won,” Ray stared as a group of cheering teens got into the parked car next to Lydia’s. “Is ASB planning a pep rally for the championship game?”

Lydia seemed to be thankful for the change in conversation. “If they make it that far. . Yes. The next semi-final game is away in someplace called Susanville.”

“So they’ll be wearing their away jerseys,” Ray said mostly to herself. Stiles always looked good in his. .

“Then a home game for the championship if all goes well. The senior class president is trying to convince administration to let us have the rally for the last two periods instead of just one.”

“Well that’s something to look forward to, skipping Chem,” Ray said. She looked back out at the crowd and saw her mother and step father leaving the field. She sent them a quick text saying she would get a ride with Lydia and that both girls planned to go out celebrating with Danny so that their parents wouldn’t wait up. That was the original lie her and Danny had come up with that afternoon to cover their true plans that night. Danny and his boyfriend had plans to go to a bar on the other side of town then pick her up from Stiles’s place once they were done.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Lydia said as she started to fix her hair. “I’m better now, see?” She flashed an unconvincing smile at Ray.

“You know you can talk to me, right? Like whenever. . When you are seeing him. . Just let me know and I’ll come find you.” That was the least Ray could do. After all, Lydia went to the dance in efforts to make Ray jealous and admit her feelings for Stiles. Essentially Ray dragged her into this whole supernatural mess.

Guilt wasn’t the only reason she offered to listen. Ray had actually come to enjoy the blossoming friendship with Lydia Martin. She spent the first year of high school painting Lydia as a “plastic” from Mean Girls with no heart whose only goal was popularity. Ray couldn’t have been more wrong. Lydia had continuously given Ray advice since they both started hanging out with Allison. Even the first time they hung out at the bowling alley, Lydia and Allison included her in their quick hang out session in the bathroom. It seemed silly, but the two girls could have easily excluded her that night. They didn’t know her, she was just some weirdo that was friends with Scott.

And ever since then Lydia and Allison both had been trying to help Ray with her Stiles situation. Lydia had been extremely supportive, especially the other night at the ice rink.

“I have good news,” Ray said excitedly.

“Thank god,” Lydia said dramatically. “I need to hear this.”

“Stiles and I are supposed to hang out after the game tonight.”

“You mean like now?!” Lydia looked around at the dwindling crowd as cars left. “Is that why you were looking for him earlier?”

“Sort of.” Ray felt a nervous tingling in her chest. Was this the butterflies they talked about in movies?

“Okay, so your first time might not be the best, but-“

Ray covered her face and yelled, “No! Not that kind of hang out!”

“What other kind of hanging out is there. .?”

“Like-watching a movie or playing video games or-I don’t know! Not that! We haven’t even kissed-“

“Well, what the hell are you waiting for?”

Ray slumped into the passenger seat. “I don’t know. . A moment alone with him? A sign? The right timing? The confirmation that he likes me back?”

Lydia nodded like she was taking it all in then said, “You think too much.” Ray dramatically rolled her eyes, so Lydia went on, “No, seriously. Just kiss him. Hell, go kiss him right now that way you guys can spend the whole rest of the night kissing because that boy is crazy for you.”

Crazy? Sure. But for Ray? She highly doubted that. Ray spent years watching Stiles have crushes on girls, blatantly flirt with them, then get rejected. Stiles didn’t act like his usual flirtatious self around Ray, meaning. . He must not see her in that way. Or maybe he did, but he was just as scared as Ray was to ruin the friendship.

In that moment Ray decided she would find out that night once and for all. She was going to be straight up with Stiles, no more dancing around it.

“I’m gonna do it,” Ray declared. She opened the passenger side door and scrambled out like if she waited another second, she would lose her confidence.

“Get it, girl!” Lydia called to her as she ran off.

The locker rooms were emptied out, but Stiles’s gym bag still sat on a bench below his locker. Her phone read 8:23 which meant the game must have ended at least twenty minutes prior. The field was also empty. A few posters had fallen underneath the bleachers and forgotten. Ray picked them up and grimaced when she saw Jackson’s number on one of them. He really just broke up with Lydia out of no where then barely even supported her after she had come back to school. Even Danny thought it was odd how cold Jackson had been to Lydia.

She had gone to every one of his games, she even still did. . Except now she sat in the school parking lot and cried. Lydia had made him countless posters. Ray wondered if he ever even noticed. She rolled up the posters and stuffed them in the nearest trash bin.

The parking lot was nearly empty now. Lydia was long gone, probably home by now having a bubble bath and relaxing. Stiles’s jeep was still in its usual parking spot. The only other car in the lot was a shiny black mustang. Ray did a double take and saw Boyd leaning against the trunk of the car, clad in the jersey Coach bestowed upon him.

“Boyd!” Ray yelled frantically as she sprinted towards him. She shouldn’t have been as out of breath as she was, and the bruise on her hip was throbbing. “Boyd-oh man am I glad to see you-“

“Have you seen Erica?” He asked, arms crossed and eyes very judgmental at how out of breath the girl was.

“No-,” she gasped for air and leaned against the black car, “Have you seen Stiles?”

“No. Have you seen Derek?”

“Go fish,” she mumbled. “What about Scotty?”

“He left with the Argents.”

Her hand flew over her heart. “He what?!”

“Willingly,” Boyd added.

“That doesn’t- okay. Whatever. So no Scott. Stiles, Derek and Erica are missing. . Looks like it’s up to us! Can you like-listen for them?”

“I can’t control it yet,” he said with a shrug.

“You can’t- what do you mean? Doesn’t Derek teach you guys stuff?”

“He turned me yesterday,” Boyd deadpanned.

Ray squinted at him the let out a huge sigh. “Shit. Okay. . Can you just try closing your eyes and focusing?”

Boyd crossed his arms. “Do you promise to be quiet?” Ray opened her mouth to respond then quickly shut it. Boyd smirked then closed his eyes. It felt like an eternity went by before he sighed and said, “I just hear water.”

“Great!” Ray started pacing. If Stiles was here, his crime solving brain would probably automatically come up with a million leads about where they could be, but Ray’s mind was completely blank. “Okay, what if you try finding them by scent?”

The werewolf’s face scrunched up. “You expect me to remember what Derek and Erica smell like? Also, have your forgotten the part where I said I was turned _yesterday_?”

“Right. . Right.” An idea popped into her head, not the best idea, but at least it was something. “Stiles’s gym bag is in the locker room!”

“I’m _not_ smelling your boyfriend’s dirty socks.”

Five minutes later the two were standing in the locker room. Boyd mumbled, “Can’t believe you’re making me smell your boyfriend’s dirty socks.”

“You didn’t have to help me,” Ray reminded him. She handed him the shirt Stiles wore to classes that day.

“You started crying! How could I have said no?”

“Look, I have to find him, okay? He’s been missing for over an hour now, and there’s a giant murderer lizard running around town. Aren’t you worried about Derek?”

“Derek can handle himself.”

Ray rolled her eyes. “Fine. What about Erica?”

Boyd didn’t look too happy as he brought Stiles’s shirt up to his face and smelt it. His eyes flashed a chilling gold.

The girl next to him put her hands proudly on her hips. “It worked, didn’t it? You can smell him!”

“No! Shh,” Boyd shoved the shirt back in Ray’s face for her to take. Ray grimaced. She didn’t need to have supernatural senses to notice the lingering smell Stiles left on his shirt.

“Gross,” she whispered as she tossed the shirt back in his gym bag. She threw the strap of his bag over her shoulder, ready to go find him.

“I hear Scott.” Boyd said before bolting out of the locker room.

Ray blinked a couple times then ran off after him, not able to keep up with his long legs. Boyd sprinted the entire way to the pool and burst through the doors. Ray stumbled into the pool house not to long after, panting again from having to run with Stiles’s heavy gym bag on her shoulder. What the hell did he keep in that thing? Bricks?

She screamed as she skidded to a halt, just before large shards of broken glass. Scott was across the pool house all wolfed out and yelling to Ray.

“They’re in the pool!”

Ray dumped the gym bag and sprinted toward the pool. The knee of her jeans ripped as she fell to the edge of the pool and threw her hand out to Stiles. Instead of swimming to her, he handed her Derek who was. .

Oh no-

Completely paralyzed and dead weight. As soon as Stiles let go of the literal giant sack of muscles that was Derek Hale, Ray instantly started tilting toward the pool.

“Oh, no, no, no,” she mumbled as Derek started sinking.

“Stiles!” Derek angrily yelled at the boy who was panting and trying to pull himself out of the pool, thinking Ray, who wasn’t able to run a full mile, could somehow handle Derek’s weight.

The werewolf slipped from Ray’s grasp. She screamed and reached out to catch him before he could sink, but in doing so she lost her own balance at the edge of the pool. The freezing water crashed against her face, and her lungs seemed to take in a gallon of pure chlorine as she went under. Still under the water she was tugging on the giant werewolf’s arm and attempting to pull him to the surface.

Suddenly she was pulled out of the water and tossed on the cement, landing right on her bad hip. She wasn’t even able to yelp out in pain because her lungs were violently coughing up all the water and pool chemicals.

“You idiot,” Derek seethed.

“Sorry,” Stiles and Ray both said at the same time, assuming he was talking to them.

“What the hell happened?” Scott asked.

“That thing attacked us!” Stiles still somehow had the energy to wave his arms around. “It tried to kill us, but it wouldn’t go in the pool.”

“So what? It can’t swim?” Scott asked as he helped Ray stand. She winced when he grabbed her hip to steady her.

“Whoa-,” Stiles was at her side in an instant, “is your hip still hurting?”

“I just landed onto funny,” -again-, “It’s fine.”

Later on in the parking lot, the three teens were huddled around Scott’s laptop to look through the flashdrive on Gerard Argent’s keys. Ray actually couldn’t believe that their school principal had an entire historical document of supernatural creature on his keychain. . And that wasn’t even the craziest part.

“Is that even a language?” Stiles asked.

“I think it’s Latin, maybe. . ?” Ray said as she glared at Scott’s tiny laptop screen.

“How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?” Scott asked. He quickly scrolled through the unreadable pages.

“It's called a kanima,” Derek informed the teens as he walked up, Erica and Boyd close behind him.

“You knew the whole time,” Stiles accused.

“No,” he denied, “Only when it was confused by its own reflection.”

“So, it doesn’t know what it is?” Ray asked, looking to Stiles as if he had the answers.

“Or who,” Derek added.

Stiles asked the man, “What else do you know?”

“Just stories-,” Derek glanced at Ray, looking her up and down, “rumors.”

“But it's like us?” Scott asked.

“A shapeshifter, yes, but it's- it's not right. It's like a-“

“An abomination.” Stiles finished for him.

Derek nodded in agreement. He and his pack left to his car, leaving the three best friends to flick through the pages of the bestiary that they couldn’t do anything with.

“Shit, shit!” Scott suddenly slammed his laptop shut.

Ray and Stiles both looked around the parking lot, expecting to see the kamina running at them or hunters holding guns. They were the only three left now that Derek’s car was driving off.

“What’s wrong?” Ray asked.

“I have to pick up my mom in like ten minutes. Shit, I’m gonna be late!” Scott threw his laptop in the backseat then looked at Ray, “You coming?”

“Stiles said he would drive me.”

“I did?” The look Stiles received from Ray seem to mean, _go along with it, idiot_! The boy cleared his throat and repeated himself, this time with more conviction, “I did. I said that, yup.”

“Okay. . Text me when you get home.” Scott squinted his eyes at Ray then got in his car.

Ray shivered as she got into the passenger seat of the jeep. Her clothes and her hair were taking their sweet time drying. It was early March, so the nights still felt like winter.

“Wish your heater worked,” She mumbled as she rubbed her hands together to warm them up. His jeep usually took a while to warm up. After twenty minutes of driving they’d be able to feel warmth coming from the vents, but it wouldn’t take that long to get to his house.

“Sorry I don’t have a shiny new mustang,” Stiles grumbled.

Ray frowned at his tone. Was he mad at Derek? He just helped them out by telling them the thing was called a kanima. Maybe it was Ray he was mad at. . Or maybe Stiles was just tired. He had been swimming in the pool for two hours while Scott was safely at some dinner at the Argents.

Her hand glided along the dashboard like she was petting a dog, “You hear that, buddy? He’s trying to replace you with a new car.”

Stiles gasped. “I would never.”

“I know you wouldn’t really, but what is it? You jealous of Derek’s car?”

“No you just- where were you that whole time?”

“I went looking for you, but then I saw Lydia and. . Well she needed me.”

It took Stiles a minute to process that and decide if he wanted to say anything more. His next words were ridiculous, “Derek thinks you’re the kanima.”

She couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “Me?”

“Well, it makes sense. You conveniently showed up after it left tonight. I’ve never see you and the kanima in the same room.”

“You can’t seriously be using comic book logic to defend why you think I’m a murdering lizard person.”

“I don’t think so! Derek does! I defended you like that entire two hours he just kept saying how he didn’t think you are a sea nymph because those things are unheard of in this area and, like, your scales are green. Not the same green, but they could get darker I guess. I don’t know.”

Ray shook her head and looked out the window. “I’m not the kanima. I was sitting in your jeep when it attacked Scott and Allison on the full moon.”

“Yeah, sitting alone. You could have ran off and come back. . Not that I think that! Just, you know, it could have happened technically.”

“Stiles, I promise you that if I’m the kanima, I don’t know I’m the kanima.”

“Lovely, that’s just- wonderful.” Stiles grumbled something more to himself. Ray let him fester with whatever grievances he had, knowing he was probably just in the mood to argue.

They were almost to his house now. She tested the heater, and surprisingly the air coming out of the vents was slightly warmer than the climate of the jeep. She sighed and let her fingers warm up against the lukewarm breeze.

“Hey, if I promise to not murder you with my paralytic venom, do you want to still hang out? I mean, I know the original plan was to go through the bestiary and neither of us are fluent in Latin. .”

Stiles’s eyes flickered to the time on the radio then back to the road. “Your mom isn’t going to worry?”

“She thinks I’m out celebrating with Danny. We don’t have to be home until midnight. . He was gonna pick me up from your place after he is done hanging with Nick, if you’re cool with that.”

The way Stiles side eyed her and looked her up and down made her warm up faster than the heater ever did. He licked his lips and said, “It’s pretty late. I’d have to sneak you in.”

Sneaking into the sheriff’s house after 10pm wasn’t exactly on Ray’s bucket list, but there she stood at his back door, waiting for his son to go through the front door, make sure the coast was clear, and let her in. It seemed like it was taking Stiles ages to get back to her, but when he finally let her in, he made up for it by handing her an outfit of dry clothes to change into. Ray stepped through the back door and into the laundry room with a huge smile of her face. Her whole body felt buzzed from sneaking around.

“He’s upstairs, going to sleep,” Stiles told her. “Figured you’d want to dry your clothes.”

“Yes, thank you. I can’t believe I fell in the pool. .” She would definitely have to add that to most embarrassing moments in her life.

Stiles stepped out to let her change. The bruise on her hip had definitely gotten worse since the last time she saw it. At this point she would probably be taking ibuprofen before bed every night until the day she died.

Ray put her wet clothes directly in his dryer and her now useless phone on one of the shelves. It was like she was reenacting a scene from a spy movie when she carefully stepped out of the laundry room. Part of her feared the sheriff would be standing right there ready to scold her for. . Well, she hadn’t exactly done anything wrong, but still.

That buzzing feeling in her chest was back, only this time it seemed like her whole body was tingling. Stiles was lying on the couch and flicking through channels to find something good. Looking from the recliner to the very occupied couch made Ray wonder to herself, What Would Lydia Do?

Lydia would probably toss her hair over her shoulder then glide over to the couch and sit on the boy’s lap. That was a little too much to ask of Ray, but the least she could do was join him on the couch.

Ray’s hands were shaking again. She made two fists then released them, trying to calm herself. Just kiss him. It was simple. Just sit next to him and do it. What was stopping her? They had already dealt with supernatural shit that night, so nothing was going to interrupt them.

Stiles sat up and made room for her on the couch as she walked into the living room. She sunk down in the cushion next to him while he complained about nothing good being on at this hour. It all felt. . completely normal and not at all frightening. Stiles got up to pick out a movie, Star Wars of course. Ray reluctantly agreed as long as it was one of the original three because no matter how much she loved Ewan McGregor, the prequels were shit in comparison to the originals.

When Stiles finally sat back down he was even closer than before. Ray couldn’t tell if her body had gone stiff, or if she was just worried about seeming stiff. She tried to relax and lean back into the cushion, but her cheeks went red when she leaned back and felt Stiles’s arm behind her on the back of the couch. A chill ran down her spine, thankfully it wasn’t from nerves. Her wet hair on her shoulders and back were starting to get to her.

“Hey, Stiles?” Her voice came out so quiet, she barely even heard herself.

“Sorry-,” he moved his arm from behind her. “Sorry, I just-“

She shook her head. “Not that. Just wondering if you had a blanket. I’m kind of freezing.”

“Of course!” He scrambled to get one from behind the couch then seemed surprised when Ray put it over the both of them. He kept his arm at his side, afraid to put it behind her again. Being warmer was nice, but at what cost? Ray wished she hadn’t said anything, then maybe his arm would still be around her.

The hand holding her necklace could feel how fast her heart was beating in her chest. Ten seconds of the movie felt like an hour of trying to focus. Stiles was taping some intricate rhythm on his knee and biting the nails on his other hand. Ray smiled, realizing he was nervous too. Maybe it was okay to be nervous.

She took his hand and wrapped his arm around the back of her neck. His eyes broke from the movie to look at her in shock, his lips parted slightly. Ray wondered for a second what would happen if she kissed him. The thought was quickly squandered by her crippling anxiety.

Instead she had to ask, “Is this okay?”

“Most definitely, yeah,” he whispered.

Ray leaned over slightly until her head was rested on his chest, her cheeks nearly as red as his sleep shirt. Now that her ear was to his chest, she could hear that his heart was beating just as fast as her own. She smiled again then asked, “Is this okay?”

“Totally. Yes. Very okay.”

Her hand played with a loose string on the sleeve of his shirt. The movie wasn’t getting much of her attention. The whole first hour of it is spent on some sand planet that was terribly boring to watch. Stole probably knew the name of every planet in the Star Wars universe.

“When does Han Solo finally show up?”

The boy’s chest vibrated against her cheek as he chuckled and answered, “I think he shows up like fifty minutes into the movie.”

“Ugh.”

It wasn’t just the boring sand planet that was making it hard to focus. Leaning against Stiles felt like an out of body experience, one that she couldn’t even fully enjoy because a certain creature of the night was on her mind. Ray had never seen the kanima for herself. Was it possible she was blacking out and turning into it?

“Hey, Stiles. .”

Stiles sighed and shook his head. “If we skip to Han Solo, we’ll miss the ‘These are not the droids you are looking for’ scene.”

Though that wasn’t what she wanted to ask, the idea of sitting through thirty more minutes of sand planet without a glimpse of Han Solo did make her pout. She was afraid of his answer, but she still had to ask, “Do you think I’m the kanima?”

“No, of course not. Ray, I looked into it’s eyes, okay? They were yellow and snake-like and pure evil. Your’s at the dance were glowing bright green and blue and pretty and-totally not at all evil.”

Ray sat up so that she could see his face. “You think my eyes are pretty?”

A knock at the front door made both teens panic and jump to opposite ends of the couch as if they had been caught doing something other than just watching a movie. Stiles rubbed a hand over his hair and mumbled, “You’ve gotta be kidding me-,” before getting up to answer the door.

Danny was standing on the front porch looking like a complete reck with his eyes all read from crying. Ray rushed over from the couch to pull him into a hug.

“What’s wrong?” She was assuming the worst given his state.

“Nick broke up with me.”

“He what?” Ray asked in shock. They had been dating since the end of summer. As far as Ray knew, the two weren’t even having problems.

“Sorry I’m here early. You weren’t answering you phone.”

“Ha, yeah,” Ray rubbed the back of her neck. “My phone was sort of. . Dropped in water.”

“Your mom’s gonna kill you,” Danny told her as if she didn’t already know.

“Yes, yes she is. . Well, uh-,” Ray turned to Stiles and said, “See you at school?” It wasn’t that she wanted the night to end there, but hanging out with Stiles while her brother cried over his break up just seemed wrong. Danny shuffled down the front steps and over to his car.

Once her step brother had his back turned, Stiles pulled Ray into a tight hug, mumbled a goodnight, then shut the front door in her face before she could react. Ray tried her best to hide her smile as she was getting into her brother’s car. Now wasn’t the time to gush about a boy hugging her. It was time to listen to Danny’s venting and maybe slash his exes tires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter went from me not wanting to write it at all to me writing a bunch of relationship development scenes between Ray and a shit ton of characters (some I didn’t even expect, but thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic of.. hello Boyd)
> 
> Did any of y’all cuddle with your guy friends in high school without realizing the repercussions because. . Ah ha. . I might have done that. . With three different guy friends. .all in the same friend group.  
> Hopefully Ray doesn’t immediately regret the cuddling right afterwards like I did though! Good luck to her!
> 
> Who is your favorite supporting character in teen wolf?


	17. Catch-22

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. Scott rode his bike downtown to go to work, and Ray rode hers home. They used to ride together halfway to downtown back when Ray worked at the video store, but now she spent her afternoons researching the supernatural and trying not to stress over her advanced classes or the fact that her lab partner’s parents want her dead. Work seemed like a privilege that normal teens got to worry about. She didn’t know how Scott kept it all together.

Well, she did know. He was failing three classes, so technically he wasn’t keeping it all together.

Still, Ray was jealous of him. She missed going to work. Hell, she even sort of missed being friends with Eddie Weaver despite the fact that he was a total douche when Ray told him she just wanted to be friends.

Oh the things she would give to go back to a bit of normalcy. To not have to worry about hunters. . To not have a debilitating and embarrassing crush on one of her guy friends. . To not be a freaking sea nymph with powers to read emotions, conjure lightning and melt ice (apparently). . To not have a black camero following her the whole way home.

Wait.

What?

Ray did a double take and surely enough, Derek’s Hale’s shiny car was cruising just twenty feet behind her. Usually if a black car was following someone, the person would pick up their pace and try to find a safe area to find help. It was Ray’s first instinct to start pedaling faster, but she knew Derek Hale. Ray pulled her bike over to the side of the road and waited for Derek to stop next to her.

Derek rolled his window down and said, “Get in.”

Ray stepped off her bike, but didn’t move away from it. She held it by the handle bars and said, “This feels an awful lot like those kidnappings adults warn us about, you know.”

Derek didn’t laugh at her joke. He didn’t even crack a smile. Instead, he turned to Isaac in the passenger seat and silently nodded. The blonde boy got out of the car and smirked at Ray. She gripped tighter on her handle bars, suddenly feeling like her joke was becoming reality.

“He was hoping you’d come willingly,” Isaac said as he slowly walked over to her. His blue eyes flickered over her frame, followed by his tongue briefly wetting his lips. “Though I warned him you’d be stubborn.”

“Ha, okay. .” Ray swung her leg back over her bike then started pedaling. “Not today, Satan.”

Isaac and the car didn’t follow her as she sped off. She was looking over her shoulder at them getting smaller in the distance when she rounded the corner. Her bike ran into something, causing her to gasp. Erica Reyes stood before her, holding her handle bars in place to keep her bike from tilting off balance.

The blonde girl leaned close to Ray’s face, so close that Ray almost felt crosseyed trying to look into the blonde’s eyes. Ray swallowed thickly then leaned back on her bike so that the two weren’t breathing the same air. Erica laughed and shook her head.

“Did you really think you’d be able to escape from us on a bike?”

Well, when it’s put that way it sounds ridiculous. . Holy shit. They were really kidnapping her. Isaac was right though, Ray wasn’t about to go down easy. She narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her. Clouds creeped over the once sunny afternoon and thunder roared in the distance.

“Oh, sweetie,” Erica spoke softly as she batted her eyes, “What are you gonna do? There’s no ice to melt here.”

A lightning bolt crashed down on the road. Erica jumped and looked over her shoulder at the singe mark on the asphalt. Ray took that chance to hop off her bike and start running the opposite way. Isaac came running from the other street, Derek’s car not too far behind. She quickly changed her direction. Another bolt of lightning struck down in front of Isaac, followed by rain starting to fall.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Ray mumbled as she sprinted down an alleyway. The two blondes were catching up to her now that they had gotten over the initial shock of lightning striking the ground near them. Ray’s foot caught in the uneven gravel of the alleyway. As she was going down, strong arms caught her. She looked up to thank the person then realized it was Boyd.

He had this disappointed look on his face like a teacher who just discovered their favorite student had been cheating all along. He swung Ray, who had been kicking and screaming, over his shoulder and carried her out of the alleyway, completely unfazed by the lighting striking down near him.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Ray was screaming. He obliged by dropping her. . into the trunk. “No! Please! No!” She screamed as Derek slammed the trunk of his car shut.

The entire ride Ray beat on the lid of the trunk, hoping someone at a stoplight would hear her. She could barely make out the muffled voices of those sitting in the backseat, but not the ones of Derek and Boyd in the front.

At one point she heard Isaac say, “Derek, we should let her out.”

When Ray couldn’t make out Derek’s response, she started crying and kicking against the lid of the trunk harder. Still they didn’t let her out until they got back to their secret evil layer which seemed to be in the next town over because they drove for an eternity. By the time the trunk opened again, Ray was curled up on herself and too tired to even fight back against Derek pulling her out and setting her on the cement floor. Her ankle throbbed, her hip aches, and her head was sporting a dull migraine from all the screaming and crying she had done the whole ride here.

Abandoned train cars and sheets of metal littered the giant warehouse. Things seemed to be set up like some big obstacle course. If this is how Derek was training his betas, then maybe Scott really was better off learning from Stiles.

Ray didn’t try to get up from her knees. She was too tired to fight back. All she said was, “What do you want from me?”

The general consensus of emotions in the room weren’t inherently evil. Boyd felt guilt and uncertainty. Surprisingly even Erica was scared and sad as Derek moved to stand in front of Ray. Isaac stood the furthest from the group feeling a very deep sense of guilt and anxiety. Ray almost worried he was going to lose control because of how strong his emotions felt.

Derek kneeled in front of her holding a glass fragment with gloved hands. A thick, clear goo sparkled even under the dim lighting of the warehouse. Ray knew instantly what it was.

Her voice was stuck between a whisper and a sob as she tried to hold herself together, “Why are you doing this to me?”

“It’s just a test to see if you’re the kanima. If you pass, you’ll live.”

She was a sea nymph. She knew that. For some reason, she was still frightened for this test. What if she didn’t pass? What if Derek was right and all along Ray had been the one blacking out and killing people?

“Please don’t,” she begged.

“Derek,” Isaac spoke up, sounding broken, “This is crazy. She isn’t the kanima.”

“I’m not buying the sea nymph bullshit. All my years in Beacon Hills, I’ve never met one. They are only found on the coast,” Derek insisted. He looked to Erica and Boyd then said, “Hold her down.”

Boyd was the first to step forward, Erica not too long after. Each took a side and grabbed onto her, but Ray wasn’t resisting so they didn’t have to be rough. She looked to Isaac for help, but he had left the room.

Derek held open Ray’s mouth then let some of the goo drip off the shard of glass and onto the girl’s lips. It tasted how nail polish smelled and instantly numbed her neck as it went down her throat. Erica and Boyd went from holding her in place to holding her up as her head flopped down and her body slumped forward. They leaned her against the side of a worn railway car.

Ray knew she wasn’t going to enjoy being paralyzed from the neck down, but she definitely didn’t expect her anxiety to skyrocket like it did. Erica of all people kneeled in front of her with a worried look.

“She’s panicking,” Erica said, looking up to Derek for advice.

“Yeah no shit,” Isaac said, coming back into the room. “You guys fucking stuffed her in a trunk then paralyzed her.”

“You knew what this plan was,” Derek reminded him.

“I knew we were going to test her, but I never agreed to sticking her in the trunk for a thirty minute car ride.”

“You’re right,” Derek said, surprising everyone in the room. “When we grab Jackson, we’ll stick him in the backseat.” He pulled his keys from his jacket pocket and headed toward the car. Erica got up and followed him, Boyd not far behind her.

“You’re leaving me like this?” Ray would have given anything to smack the alpha in that moment.

“Don’t worry, Isaac will stay with you,” Erica said with a wink.

The tips of Ray’s fingers twitched as she imagined slapping the smirk off the blonde girl’s face.

By the time they got back with Jackson and did the test on him, Ray had gotten most of the feeling back in her body. She went to school the next morning almost completely normal except for the slight stiffness in her neck.

And of course, the pain in her hip and the dull ache in her ankle. But hey, waking up any day knowing one isn’t a murdering lizard creature is good news.

Thankfully Danny drove her to school and assumed her sour mood was just the typical monthly gift from Mother Nature. Ray wished that was all it was. Her bottle of ibuprofen was starting to dwindle.

“Hey, sunshine,” Stiles said as he leaned against the locker next to Ray.

Ray looked behind herself thinking there would be someone else there, but it was just her and Stiles at her locker. It could not have possibly been her he was referring to. Ray was very far from being in a sunshine my mood. Her eyes narrowed at the boy.

“Who the hell are you talking to?”

“You, obviously,” he said as he took her Econ book from her hands. “Bad news, Isaac is back. Jackson took back his statement this morning.”

She wasn’t sure why that was bad news. Ray hadn’t told Scott and Stiles about Derek and his up and coming pack capturing her and testing to see if she was the kanima. So why did Stiles think Isaac being back was bad news? Shouldn’t it be a relief his name was cleared?

“I know he is back-,” she dug through her locker for a working mechanical pencil, “-I just had first period with him, and it’s good for him since you know, he’s innocent.”

“Right. . Still he’s- I don’t know. He seems kind of evil, don’t you think?”

“Egotistical, full of himself and a little too horny, but evil? Not inherently,” she said with a shrug. He had definitely been more confident and flirty this morning than usual, but it was nothing Ray couldn’t handle. It wasn’t like she could blame him for Derek poisoning her since he spoke out against it and had to leave the room.

Stiles seemed still very concerned about Isaac being back at school, “Did he say anything to you?”

“Yes, actually. He gave me a detailed run down of Derek’s evil plan,” Ray said sarcastically.

“Oh my _god_ , can you just take this seriously for one second?!”

“Sorry I’m not in the mood to play detective, Stiles! I spent hours last night with Isaac against my will after they kidnapped me and paralyzed me from the neck down. I lost my bike, hurt my ankle, my mom yelled at me for getting home so late and I didn’t have time to do any homework, let alone study for the Econ midterm tomorrow. And if you want my honest opinion I think all of us, including Isaac, should be focused on not failing that!”

“Whoa, wait, they kidnapped you?”

Ray didn’t answer. She wasn’t in the mood to repeat herself. Instead she focused on digging through her locker.

“Are you okay?” Stiles asked. Still, she didn’t feel the need to answer. If being alive and no longer paralyzed qualified as okay, then Stiles could figure out the answer to his question himself.

After finding a working pencil, Ray took her book back from the boy then started walking toward class. He scrambled after her and stole the book from her hands for a second time, looking proud as he did so. She tried to get it back, but he held it out of her reach.

“What is up with you, Stilinski?”

“I’m holding your books for you,” he responded.

“Why?”

“W-why? Because I’m nice.”

“You are only nice when you want something from someone.”

“That is not-,” he paused then winced, “Okay so maybe that happens to be the case this one specific time-“

Ray crossed her arms and stopped walking. “Whatever it is, the answer is no.”

“You haven’t even heard what I’m-“

“No.”

“It’s really not-“

“Still no.”

Ray held out her hand for her book. Instead of giving her back the Econ book, Stiles took her hand then dragged her into an empty classroom. Her eyes went wide as he closed and locked the door behind them. Maybe she had seen one too many videos on adult only websites because being locked in an empty classroom with him was making her mind go places it probably shouldn’t considering it was only 9am.

“What the hell are you doing, Stilinski?!”

“I need you to find out why Isaac is back,” he told her.”

“To get an education! Not everything has to have an ulterior motive!”

They had already tested her and Jackson, so Derek’s pack wouldn’t do any more harm. Isaac was probably just wanting to catch up on the time he missed and graduate high school, just like everyone else.

“Well this does! It’s suspicious that Jackson suddenly decided to change his story this morning right before school and already Isaac is back!” Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can you just trust me?”

“Trust you? Stiles! Pretty sure the last time you asked me that, you keyed some guys car and got our best friend beaten up!”

“Yeah, Scott healed from it! And he learned how to control his shift because of it!”

The bell rang and suddenly Ray remembered where they were. “Shit, we’re late for Econ.” She reached for the door, but Stiles stopped her.

“We’re already late. Let’s finish this then go.”

“I don’t even know how I would find out why Isaac is back. Why would he even trust me?”

“Because he thinks you’re hot,” Stiles said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The girl could feel heat rising up to her cheeks. Stiles must have noticed it because he quickly added, “Hey! Don’t let it go to your head! Use it against him.”

Ray’s eyes went wide. “Who do you take me for? Black Widow?”

“I’m not saying kill him,” Stiles said as he rolled his eyes. “Although. .”

“Oh my god.”

“Can’t you just flirt with him then get him to talk about Jackson recanting his statement?”

“I don’t even know how to flirt,” Ray admitted as she covered her face with her hands.

Stiles snorted. “Yeah you couldn’t recognize it if it bit ya in the ass either.” Ray shoved him lightly and he put up his hands, “Hey, I’m just saying.”

Ray had enough of his antics. She opened the door to the hall then looked back. “You’re wrong, by the way. I know when people are flirting with me, I just _choose_ to ignore it.”

It wasn’t long before he was jogging after her. They were late to the same class, after all. When they walked in, Coach paused from his lecture. All eyes were on them, and only then did Ray realize how bad walking in together so late must have looked.

“Nerine, Stilinski! Lovely of you two to decide to stop fraternizing long enough to join us!”

There was an empty seat behind Scott and another on the opposite end of the classroom next to Lydia. Jackson was seated next to Scott, and both boys were giving her and Stiles confused looks that probably were going to lead to questions Ray didn’t want to answer. She chose the empty seat on the opposite side, hoping Lydia wouldn’t grill her too hard since she already assumed her and Stiles were a thing.

“Your book,” Stiles said it loud enough for the whole class to hear. She winced and took it from him then practically ran to sit down.

How was she supposed to focus on the lesson after the embarrassment of walking in late, being called out, and the whole class witnessing Stiles Stilinski holding her book for her like they were a couple? To make things even worse, this class lesson was actually important. They were going over everything that was going to be on the midterm the next day.

“What were you two up to, hm? Making out in an empty classroom?” Lydia asked.

“Definitely not,” Ray grumbled.

“Jackson!” Coach yelled, “Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?”

It was rare to see Jackson fumble with his words. “Um-just an undying admiration for my-my coach.”

“That's really kind of you. Now shut up! Shut it!” Coach turned back to the class to move on, “Anybody else want to answer a question?”

Lydia winked at Ray then went up to the board next. The redhead took a moment to read the problem then picked up a piece of chalk. Slowly she started to draw something, but her letters were backwards. She started writing the same thing all over the board.

“Lydia,” Coach called, trying to grab the girl’s attention.

Ray looked over to Scott who just shrugged. He didn’t know what was going on either, and he didn’t offer a solution. Ray reluctantly stood from her desk and walked back to the front of the room, pushing back her worries and fears from being utterly embarrassed up there just a few minutes prior.

She took the chalk from Lydia and said, “Let me help ya out with this one, Lyds.”

The redhead gasped and seemed to come to. She looked around the room then back at the board confused. Ray quickly started erasing the confusing message Lydia had been writing and replaced it with the correct answer to the question.

“Great work, Nerine! Maybe all that extra time you and Stilinski spend studying before my class is really starting to pay off!” Coach said as Ray and Lydia took to their seats. “Now, for the next problem- oh, Greenberg put your hand down. You don’t even know what I’m about to write.”

Ray asked Lydia if she was okay, but Lydia played it off like nothing happened, claiming she was fine. The redhead received a text from Stiles with a reversed image of the board confirming how very not fine she actually was. She had written “someone help me” backwards. Ray leaned over Lydia’s shoulder to see the image.

“You sure don’t seem fine.”

“I am,” Lydia insisted as she shoved the phone back in her purse. “And tell your boyfriend to lose my number.”

Ray ignored that last bit and asked, “So you’re fine like you were in your car during the game the other night?”

Lydia pursed her lips and flipped through her book. Something had to be going on with her. First she was screaming like a mad woman at the ice rink, then the crying in her car about seeing Peter Hale, now this episode in class. .

Ray sighed. “I only ask because I care about you. So, when you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Lydia continued her bluff. “Moving on, let’s focus on studying for this midterm.”

In third period math class, Stiles’s plan had changed from Ray finding out what she can from Isaac to finding out what she can from Lydia. He told her this as if he didn’t expect Ray to already have asked her own friend what was wrong. Ray didn’t need to be told to check in on people. It was clear Lydia was going though something, but Ray couldn’t force it out of her if she wasn’t ready to talk.

Ray aggressively erased the problem she had been working on to start over completely while Stiles spoke.

“Just ask her wh-“

“Quit telling me what to do, Stilinski! Since you have such a big fucking raging crush on Lydia and you’re so god damn worried, just check on her yourself!”

The student in front of her snorted at her outburst. Stiles didn’t find it as funny he actually looked rather hurt. Ray almost immediately backed down and apologized, but Stiles responded too quickly.

“You know I don’t like her,” he denied.

“You don’t like the girl that you took to winter formal literally three weeks ago,” Ray deadpanned.

“You told me to take her! Do you not remember that?”

“Yes, I did tell you to take her because I’m a supportive friend.”

“If you’re so supportive then why can’t you let it go?” Stiles fired at her.

“Nerine, Stilinski, I think you two need to be separated for today.” Their teacher called out.

Without arguing it like she expected him to, Stiles harshly closed his book and stood up to move to the front of the class. For some reason, Ray couldn’t stop glancing up at him for the rest of the period. He was never looking back at her. She decided then that she’d never take their arguments that far ever again because being ten feet away from him, knowing he was mad at her, was the worst feeling in the world.

At first she spent her lunch period catching up with Gabby, but it was hard to focus when Stiles wasn’t in the cafeteria. She didn’t even finish her apple before she was throwing everything away to go search the halls. He wasn’t at his locker, the library or the boys locker room. Finally she found him in the school parking lot.

He didn’t even notice her walk up to the passenger’s side window. His eyes were closed and he was blasting Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, one of his mom’s favorite artists. Ray hadn’t heard that song in a while, but she smiled at the familiar tune. Only when she opened the door and slipped into the passenger seat did he finally notice her. Ray leaned the seat back like he was doing and closed her eyes to listen.

He allowed her that, but as soon as the song ended, he said, “Get the hell outta my jeep.”

Ray didn’t open her eyes as she calmly explained, “I can’t. I need to make up for the time we spent apart in math. I require like twenty seven more minutes of sitting next to you.”

“But. . I’m mad at you,” he whined.

“I was mad at you first, technically,” Ray pointed out. She sat up to skip through the songs. “Does this CD have the song from Lion King?”

Stiles looked deeply offended. He swatted her hand from skipping through the songs. “That came out like twenty years after this CD!”

“Does it have the one about alligators?”

Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose. “Crocodile Rock? No, that’s not on this CD either.”

“Remember that VHS of the muppets show your mom would always play for us where Elton John was wearing that huge feather costume?”

“Yes,” he answered shortly.

“Wanna skip school and go watch it?”

“We can’t. Derek’s goons are planning on testing Lydia by forcing her to swallow paralytic goo to see if she’s the kanima.” It was impressive how he was able to say all that like it was the most normal thing on the planet.

“So that’s what Isaac’s back in school for?”

“Yup.”

“Yikes.”

“Yup.”

“Lydia isn’t gonna like being paralyzed. It totally sucked. . . But hey, at least I’m cleared from being a giant murderer lizard thing, so it was kind of worth it.”

Ray leaned back and closed her eyes as Stiles made the radio go back to the songs she skipped over then paused it.

He frowned and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have-

“What? Saved me from four werewolves who were trying to kidnapped me?”

“You could have called me after-“

“I was kidnapped, Stiles! It’s not like jail where they let you have one phone call. Besides, my mom said she can’t buy me another cellphone until her next paycheck.” She spoke wildly with her hands, causing her shirt to rise up slightly.

Stiles gasped and reached down to lift up her shirt further, revealing more of the purple bruise along her hip. Ray shoved his hand off and quickly covered it.

“The hell was that!” He yelled.

“It’s from when I fell at the rink, remember?”

“You said it was healing!”

“Yeah, it is healing. . I mean, it was. I just keep falling on it.”

Stiles closed his eyes tightly and leaned back in his seat while mumbling, “God-skating was such a bad idea.”

“Well, you know, my fault for inviting the girl with PTSD,” Ray said casually before changing the subject, “What’s this song called?”

“This Song Has No Title.”

Ray frowned and poked his side. “Don’t be mean to me.”

“You’re an idiot,” he mumbled. “Like, I don’t know how you’ve gotten this far in life.”

“Well, as the man says, I get by with a little help from my friends.”

Stiles’s nose flared. “That’s the Beatles!”

“Wasn’t Elton John in the Beatles?” The deadly look on the boys face made Ray burst out into laughter.

“You’re doing this just to bother me, right? You aren’t actually this uneducated?”

“You are always trying to annoy me. Thought I’d show you how it’s done.”

His eyes narrowed. “Okay, maybe you’ve forgotten it’s probably not a good idea to annoy me due to the fact that I’m mad at you.”

“Well. . Tell me how to make you unmad.”

“You can’t,” he said.

“Is it because I brought up your crush on Lydia in math class?” Ray asked. The boy crossed his arms and closed his eyes to listen to the song. She continued, “I’m sorry. I know you said you don’t like her anymore like a shit ton of times. I just-“

She couldn’t tell him it made her jealous. That’s not his fault, that’s her own insecurity to work through. So she excused it away with, “I’m just in a bad mood from last night.”

Instead of responding, Stiles glared out the windshield and started biting his nails. She poked the side of his rib cage again to grab his attention. He jolted away from the touch and mumbled, “Don’t start.”

Ray, of course, was going to do the complete opposite of his request to not start. She leaned over the center console to properly tickle him until he managed to get his hands around her wrists and hold her back.

“I swear to god, Raymona,” he didn’t sound threatening when he said it. Ray just laughed and tried not to enjoy the way he was holding her wrists.

“Don’t use my full name,” Ray pouted like a child. “I feel like I’m in trouble.”

“You are,” he reminded her.

“Shall I use yours? M-“ his hands released her wrist to quickly cover over her mouth. She winked at him then licked his hand.

“Oh-gross!” He wiped his hand on her shoulder. “Why are you acting like this?”

“I told you-,” Ray said as she slumped in the passenger seat, “-we spent time apart in math so now I need to make up the time I could have spent bugging you tenfold.”

“Well congratulations. I’m throughly bugged, and you can stop now because it’s my job to bug you, not the other way around.”

“Don’t like it when I turn the tables on you? I can’t even imagine how you’d take it if I started calling you sunshine.” Ray shook her head, but then an idea popped into it. Stiles usually used milkshakes to make things up to her, maybe the same would work on him.

“Wanna go to Shakey’s after school? I’ll buy,” she offered.

Stiles stoped sulking and sat up. “No studying?”

Ray smiled. That was easy. “No studying. Just shakes and maybe curly fries.”

“Just us?”

The way those two words added a deeper layer to their simple plans made Ray nervously reach for her necklace. “To be honest, I have plans with Danny tonight at seven, but until then. . Just us.”

“How long did you plan on getting milkshakes?” Stiles said with a smirk.

“I- uh well-long enough for you to forgive me I guess.”

“So. . You’re bribing me?”

“Is it working?”

“We’ll see.”

Keeping Lydia safe from Derek’s pack during Chemistry was made a million times harder by Harris deciding today would be the day they did stations in lab. It shouldn’t be too difficult to keep Lydia out of harms way as long as someone they know is always pairing up with her, right? Allison was paired up with Lydia for the first station. Ray and Stiles were a pair for the first station as well, but both of them kept glancing over at Allison and Lydia’s table, not paying much attention to the experiment in front of them.

Isaac was sitting a table behind Lydia. He caught Ray glaring at him and offered her a smile. For some reason, she couldn’t quite place of it was genuine or not.

“How do you know he thinks I’m hot?” Ray asked Stiles.

The boy poured way too much of a substance into a test tube as he answered, “Because he told me this morning that he was glad to have his name cleared so that he could take you out.”

Ray’s eyes went wide. “Like kill me?!”

“No, dumbass. Like date you.”

“Right, right,” she mumbled. The experiment in front of them was long forgotten. She whispered the next part mostly to herself, “But why?”

“Jesus, Ray, why don’t you ask him?” Stiles grumbled.

Ray glanced at their experiment and winced as she realized the Bunsen burner was singeing the bottom of the glass tube. She quickly turned down the flame and hoped the experiment would still work even though it was slightly crispy.

“Time!” Harris called out to the class. “Switch stations and find a new partner.”

Danny, who had no idea what was going on, cut Isaac off so that he could sit with Lydia the next round. Lydia and Danny instantly started chatting about some drama happening between the junior Vice President and a cheerleader. Isaac was slightly taken aback at how casual Danny was about cutting him off. He looked around the room with a lost boy innocence on his face until his eyes landed on an empty seat next to Stiles and that cocky smirk returned.

Ray chuckled and thought to herself, you give a kid werewolf senses and a leather jacket and suddenly they think their king of the world. Maybe that’s what Scott was missing. . A cool leather jacket. Then again, did Ray want Scott to start acting all high and mighty like Derek’s other goons? Boyd didn’t seem so entitled, so maybe there was hope for the other two or. . at least hope for Isaac to turn it around. Erica was a whole other story, and-

Sitting down on the lab stool right next to Ray.

Oh no.

“You’re looking more relaxed today,” Erica said.

“And you’re looking-,” Ray looked the blonde up and down and tried to come up with a witty comeback.

Ever since Derek bit her, she had been dressing a lot different. Even taking time in the morning to style her hair and give herself a sultry smokey eye. Ray wasn’t great with makeup, but she knew eyeshadow like that took _dedication_ in the morning. Not having regular seizures probably freed up a lot of the blonde’s time and energy. Energy that she was channeling into seducing half the school, apparently. Props to her though because it was working. All the boys in class volunteered to be her partner for this lab.

Erica batted her eyes, “Speechless over me?”

Ray’s heart was pounding in her ears as she said, “Well my mother always taught me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

“My mother always taught me it’s not nice to lie,” Erica responded.

Ray aggressively underlined the directions for this step of the lab in an effort to focus on the assignment, but she couldn’t help her sarcastic reply, “It’s not nice to paralyze people either, but here you guys are.”

“We can’t just trust that she isn’t the kanima just because Stiles likes her.” Erica watched Ray’s knuckles go white around the flask she was holding. She went on, sounding as if she had just made an amazing discovery, “You’re actually worried he still likes her.”

“I’m not.”

Erica was in complete control of the conversation now, having found Ray’s weak spot. “I think you should just give up that pathetic crush entirely. Why not go for someone who actually has the guts to properly ask you out?”

“Like who? You?” Ray asked, her eyes narrowing at the blonde who, for the briefest of seconds seemed surprised Ray had said something so forward.

“I was talking about Isaac. .-“

“O-oh. Right-“

The blonde leaned closer. “But if you’d rather it be me-“

“Time!”

Ray jumped and nearly fell off her stool. She hurried quickly over to share a station with Danny, needing a break from all the werewolf/kanima drama. Sadly, Erica chose to sit at the lab table right in front of theirs, sending Ray a sly wink before taking a seat next to Allison. Danny raised an eyebrow at his sister who was as stiff as a board and offered no explanation.

Even with Danny’s calming presence, Ray wasn’t able to focus on the lab. The two girls at the lab table in front of theirs were whispering back and forth, Erica getting awfully close to Allison.

The test tube of water began to boil, so Danny reached to turn off the burner to discover the flame had never been ignited to begin with. He shuffled through the notes to try and find out if there was another clear substance used in the experiment that he might have gotten the water confused with, but there was nothing else that would have looked like water.

He almost said something to his sister about it until he saw how intensely she had been glaring at the girls in front of them. Erica had her hand trailing up Allison’s thigh, and while it was rare for him to witness girls liking girls so openly on school grounds, he was more interested in how his step sister looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel.

“Raymona, you good?”

Ray blinked then looked up at her brother. The test tube stopped boiling.

“I’m good.”

“You still down to go to the Jungle tonight?”

“Yeah, totally.” Ray played with the clip of her mechanical pencil until it snapped off. “What am I supposed to wear to a gay club?”

“Something you’d feel comfortable dancing in?”

“There’s no like-dress code or expectation for girls?”

“The only expectation is that you come ready to have a good time. By the way, I have to recover a video for Jackson after school so it might take me a couple hours. I’ll meet you at home as soon as I’m done.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Time!” Harris called. “If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal. Now for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy. You can eat it.”

Ray was surprised when Danny held up a shiny, clear crystal with the metal tongs. He snapped it in half to share with Ray. She almost didn’t want to eat it because it looked to pretty.

Scott shot up from his stool, “Lydia!”

The whole class turned their attention to the strawberry blonde. Lydia was holding the edible crystal from her station with Isaac. Ray’s heart dropped to her stomach. They were really going to do it. They were going to test her in front of the whole class.

“What?” Lydia asked.

“N-nothing,” Scott mumbled as he sat back down, figuring there was nothing he could do.

Lydia brought the crystal to her lips. Ray, Scott, Stiles and Allison all watched in horror. She bit into it.

Nothing happened.

Lydia wasn’t paralyzed from the neck down in front of their entire Chemistry class. What should have been a wave of relief washing over Ray was actually a heavy sense of dread. Lydia didn’t pass Derek’s test.

There was no denying what would come next. He was going to kill her.

Derek was going to kill Lydia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..I worked way more than expected this week which means this chapter is shorter (though still somehow 6k even though it isn’t the full episode?) I still wanted to get something out there though! I have been working on it a lot despite being busy. This story has become my form is escapism after dealing with the public all day.
> 
> Hope your week has gone well! I can not believe it’s already July. I think my brain got stuck in March. .


	18. What Big Teeth You Have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about last week! Life update at the end if y’all are interested. I’m glad to be posting!!!!!

“Hey, Lyds, we’re doing a study group at Scott’s for the Econ midterm. You should come! Allison is coming too, of course,” Raymona tried sounding as cheery as possible, but it was hard with Stiles breathing down her neck, literally. She cracked a bright smile as her elbow nudged his stomach, needing to put space between them so the nerves in her stomach don’t make Lydia suspicious of her.

“Studying with two couples?” Lydia gave Stiles a disgusted look then shut her locker, “Hard pass.”

Her heels clicked rhythmically as she walked down the hall. Ray hurried after her with Stiles on her heels, again, literally. He stepped on the back of her shoes twice.

Ray forced out a laugh, “We aren’t a couple, right, Stiles?” She gave the boy a desperate look.

“Uh-no. Not a couple. Don’t know why you’d think that.”

Lydia stopped walking abruptly. Ray stopped next to her, causing Stiles to run into her. Lydia rolled her eyes at the two and said, “Gee, I don’t know why I thought that. You two are just so distant.”

“Anyway,” Ray said quickly, “Jackson is thinking about coming.”

“Jackson?” The world took a brief pause while Lydia Martin thought about her options for a moment. “Did you say Scott’s house?”

“Yeah!” Stiles said as he enthusiastically put his arm around Ray’s shoulders, “You can ride there with us!”

Lydia grimaced at the two and said, “I think I’ll ride with Ali.” Her hair was graciously thrown over her shoulder as she headed down the hall. Her eyes rolled when Ray and Stiles kept following so close after her. At least now the two had separated from being joined at the hip and opted for being on each side of the strawberry blonde.

“That’s the opposite way of the parking lot,” Stiles pointed out.

“I have to return a book to the library. Am I allowed to do that?”

“Of course!” Ray answered quickly. “We’ll go with you!”

“Don’t you two have anything better to do like, oh I don’t know, each other?”

Stiles forced out a laugh and held the library door open for the two girls. “Funny.”

“You know me,” Lydia said with a fake sweetness, “Class Clown.”

Lydia continued on her route to the librarian’s desk, not noticing Ray hold Stiles back by tugging on his hoodie.

“Go tell Jackson the plan,” Ray whispered to the boy. Jackson was sitting at a table with Danny, probably working on that video Danny was meant to recover.

Stiles scoffed. “Me? Tell Jackson? He hates me! _You_ tell Jackson. He tolerates you for some reason.”

“I don’t want to look suspicious in front of Danny.”

“ _I_ don’t want to look suspicious in front of Danny,” Stiles argued back.

“He already think’s you’re strange, but he’ll see right through me,” Ray paused and glanced over to see Lydia was next in line to talk to the librarian. They didn’t have much more time. “Go, Stiles!”

Miraculously, Stiles was able to convince Jackson to join their study group plans which was great because Jackson going was the only reason Lydia wanted anything to do with them. Though, she didn’t act that way after Jackson joined them on their walk to the parking lot. Lydia played herself off as nonchalant, as if ignoring Jackson was her attempt at grabbing his attention. It was sort of working too because Jackson wasn’t used to being ignored.

Scott still wasn’t home by the time the group arrived. That wasn’t a problem for Stiles though because apparently he had a key to Scott’s house. While that fact was initially alarming to Ray, she quickly got over it when she realized her mom kept a set of keys to Melissa’s house hanging in their kitchen. Sonia would often water Melissa’s plants when they were away on vacations and Melissa often returned the favor.

Still. .the amount of keys on Stiles’s lanyard was unsettling. Did he have a key to all of Beacon Hills at this point? Did he have a key to Ray’s house?

The excuse Stiles gave Lydia for his odd behavior of locking the front door was that there had been break ins and a murder in the neighborhood. Lydia didn’t believe his lie in the slightest and looked to Ray for confirmation since she lived right next door. Suddenly the pressure was on to lie to one of the smartest people Raymona knew and all she could do was shrug. Thankfully, Jackson took Lydia upstairs to distract her before she could poke holes through Ray’s horrible acting skills.

“What the hell was that?” Stiles whispered to Ray.

“I can’t come up with lies on the spot like that, not when it’s Lydia. She’s a million times smarter than me!” Ray said defensively.

“She’s already seeing through all of us,” Stiles argued.

“So adding more lies to the mix is your idea of solving the problem?”

Stiles rolled his eyes and asked, “I’m sorry, did you want to explain everything that’s going on to her?”

“Guys,” Allison whispered, interrupting their pointless argument, “Derek’s here.”

Stiles and Ray both went to look out the same window, knocking heads in the process. Ray stepped back while rubbing her head and saying, “They better leave before Danny gets home, or he’s gonna know something’s up.”

Allison frowned as she got out her phone. Stiles noticed her and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I think-,” Allison was battling with herself while answering, “I think I have to call my dad.”

“If he finds you here, you and Scott-“

“I know. But what are we supposed to do? They're not here to scare us, okay? They're here to kill Lydia.”

“And if your family comes, are they going to go after Scott?” Stiles asked.

Allison closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ray put a comforting hand on her shoulder. The two girls shared a silent look before Ray said, “Call him.”

“What?” Stiles interjected. “But Scott-“

“Can handle himself,” Ray insisted. “Right now there are werewolves standing outside that aren’t going to leave until Lydia is dead. Unless you can think of some other way to save her-“

“I can. Just shoot one of 'em,” Stiles said.

“Are you serious?” Allison asked.

“We told Scott we could protect ourselves, so let's do it. Or at least give it a shot, right?”

Allison looked to Ray for her opinion. The girl just shrugged and said, “You don’t carry that mini crossbow in your backpack just for looks, so you?” Allison rolled her eyes at Ray’s statement, but still got the crossbow out of her bag despite how ridiculous this all felt.

Stiles peaked out the window and said, “Look, they don't think we're gonna fight, so if one of them gets hit, I guarantee they'll take off. So just shoot one of 'em.”

“Which one?” Allison asked as she peaked out the second window.

“Derek,” Stiles said instantly, “Yeah, shoot him, preferably in the head.”

“If Scott was able to catch an arrow, Derek definitely can,” Allison pointed out.

“Shoot Erica,” Ray grumbled angrily under her breath, causing Stiles to raise his eyebrows at her. Ray noticed his expression and felt heat rise to her cheeks. Why was she suddenly picturing Erica sliding her hand up Allison’s thigh again? “I’m gonna go, um-grab some water. Want a glass, Ali?”

“Sure, thanks.”

“You can just shoot any of the other three,” Stiles said as Ray left to the kitchen.

While Ray was filling up the glasses, she wasn’t able to hear Stiles and Allison whispering in the other room. It came as a surprise when Ray stepped out of the kitchen just as Allison was being shoved to the ground by Isaac. The blonde boy’s eyes glowed a chilling golden as he looked over at Ray. His focus was completely on her as he shoved Stiles down next. The smirk on his lips was playful, like tossing around Ray’s friends was a game to him.

The water in the glasses boiled over and turned into steam as it trickled onto Ray’s hands. She screamed out as she chucked one of the glasses at Isaac, hitting the wall behind his head. Isaac flinched and covered his head as it shattered behind him. His emotions shifted from that playful confidence to a crippling fear. Ray looked down at the second glass in her hand and put it on the coffee table, deciding not to throw it at him like the first.

Allison was sneaking past Isaac and up the staircase to check on Lydia. Ray took a step toward Isaac who was now curled up on himself. Stiles grabbed her ankle to stop her from getting any closer to the werewolf.

“Isaac?” Ray called out to the boy to see if he was okay.

His head snapped up and he growled, revealing his giant sharp teeth and full werewolf form. Ray jumped back and ran into Stiles who was scrambling up to get away from Isaac’s deadly golden gaze.

“Run?” Ray whispered.

“Run,” Stiles confirmed.

The two did a circle around the first floor of Scott’s house with Isaac hot on their heels. It became evident that Isaac was no longer playing around as he shoved items of furniture out of the way. For a brief second, Ray dared to tap into his emotions and felt an overwhelming sense of rage. The wolf had taken over.

If they didn’t find a way out of this soon, Isaac was going to tear them apart.

Once they got back to the front entrance, Ray shoved Stiles behind her then threw herself at Isaac, tackling him like a linebacker. The two clamored to the floor before Isaac shoved her off of him. Her hip felt like someone took a dagger to hit, and she yelped out in pain, grabbing at it. Isaac sat up over her on his knees and held up his hand, ready to punch.

Stiles came sprinting at them, shoving Isaac over from the side. While Isaac was down, Stiles quickly helped Ray up while saying, “Don’t do that again.”

It was a dumb move, Ray had to admit. She really needed to find a way to make her powers work in a fight that wasn’t conveniently on an ice rink.

The two backed up to the front door, holding onto each other like it was the only thing left they could do. Isaac stood up, huffing and way angrier than before. His teeth bared, sharp and frightening. Ray couldn’t help but think of those words from the fairytale.

_What big teeth you have._

People warned her that high school would be harder than middle school, but Ray never expected to be eaten alive in the middle of her sophomore year by her classmate. Her eyes scanned around them, looking for anything to protect themselves. Melissa’s dying fern in the corner didn’t look like it would do much damage.

She clutched into Stiles shirt and mumbled, “We’re dead.”

“Definitely top five worst dates we’ve been on,” Stiles added.

Ray tucked her face away and Stiles’s neck. They were about to get torn to sheds by a werewolf and all Ray could think about was how much she regretted not going on an actual date with the boy who was holding her so close. If she had known their days were numbered, she would have mustered up the courage to ask him on a proper date sooner. Then, maybe, all the non-dates would have been pre-establishes actual dates. Maybe they would have gone to winter formal together. Maybe they would have been already a real couple before even going bowling. Maybe that midnight walk in the woods would have never happened because they would have been at Shakey’s holding hands and talking about how excited they were to start their spring semester of sophomore year together.

Isaac let out a chilling roar right before lunging at them. He was pulled back, claws just meters from swiping Stiles’s face. Isaac went flying into the wall and hit his head, immediately knocking out. Scott stood between the werewolf and his friends, ready to throw the blonde around again if he got back up.

“Scotty!” Ray cried out. She broke from Stiles’s hold and ran up to hug her friend from behind.

Scott turned around to face her. “Ran here as fast as I could. . Where’s Allison?”

“Upstairs.”

Scott came back down from checking on Allison with Erica slumped in his arms. Allison had paralyzed Erica with the Kanima’s goo, which could only mean one thing.

“It’s here?” Ray asked, sounding heartbroken. A part of her hoped it wasn’t Lydia even though she didn’t pass Derek’s test, but if the kanima was here then. . It had to be her.

“It was,” Allison answered. “I think it went through Scott’s window.”

Scott threw Erica and Isaac out the front door. Allison followed him outside. Stiles lingered back for a second to wait for Ray who was looking up the staircase like she was waiting for someone else to come down.

“Ray?” Stiles touched her hand.

“That was weird, right?” She whispered, here eyes lingering over the pile of glass from the cup she threw.

“Ray, my best friend is a werewolf, you’re a freaking sea nymph, there is a lizard creature going around killing people at large. .You need to be a little more specific about what weird thing you are referring to.”

“Isaac. He wasn’t just trying to keep us from saving Lydia. He was going to kill us.”

“He shifted and lost control,” Stiles said with a shrug.

“But why though?” Ray wondered out loud.

Footsteps at the top of the stairs chased Stiles and Ray to go silent. Lydia had come out of her hiding spot in the bathroom with streams of tears staining her foundation. Her shaking hand grabbed the railing for support as Ray ran up the stairs to help her.

“They’re gone?” Lydia asked.

Ray wondered if Lydia knew who “they” were. She rubbed her friends back and promised, “Yes, they’re gone. Let’s go out front though.”

It seemed like Ray dodged multiple bullets when she and Stiles took Lydia out front. Derek got confirmation that both girls weren’t the kanima since the actual kanima was hissing and jumping off the roof as they walked out. Danny pulled up in his car, causing Derek’s pack to flee and giving Ray an excuse to go home and avoid explaining everything that just happened to Lydia. Danny also saved her from having to chase after the kanima with Stiles and Scott. However, the saving came with a price.

Clubbing.

The line to get in the club went halfway down the block. As far as Ray could see, there were all men and only a couple other women in the line a few groups ahead. One of the women had short hair, and the other was wearing a baseball cap. Ray wished she had stolen one of Stiles’s to wear to help her blend in better with the crowd.

“How do you know they’ll even let me in?” Ray whispered as she tugged nervously on her necklace.

“Why wouldn’t they? Your fake worked at Eddie’s gig just fine,” Danny reassured her.

“Not because of my ID. . . Because. .,” Ray glanced around the line the whispered, “Because I’m like painfully straight.”

Danny snorted. “You seriously have nothing to worry about. Gay people don’t have any certain look or criteria. The bouncer isn’t going to judge you for being straight passing. Besides, no one who is one hundred percent straight says things like ‘painfully straight’.”

Ray’s eyes went comically wide. A brief image of a certain girl laughing and holding Ray’s handlebars in place so that she couldn’t get away flashed through her mind. If Ray had leaned in ever so slightly that day. .Ray brushed off the thought and cleared her throat.

“I don’t like girls.”

“Okay fine, then as soon as we get in there we’ll find you a cute bi guy to dance with and not a girl with porcelain skin and dark hair and dimples. .”

They shuffled forward in line, still fifteen people back from getting in. It took a moment, but once the girl realized what her brother was insinuating, her heart nearly stopped. Ray didn’t recognize anyone around them, so she felt safe name dropping, “I don’t have a crush on Allison.”

“Dude, that vein in your temple looked like it was gonna pop out of your skin when Erica was flirting with her in Chem earlier. I know gay when I see it.”

“I like someone else,” Ray insisted.

“So it’s Erica you were jealous about?”

“N-no! It’s a boy I like, Danny. I like _boys_! A certain boy! Only one certain boy.”

“Have you considered maybe that you have a tiny crush on Erica while also being hopelessly in love with Stilinski?” Danny crosses his arms and gave Ray a look like he was daring her to challenge him.

“Anyway,” Ray said quickly, “I’m not gay.”

“First of all, you offered to come with me tonight. Secondly, you said you were curious what gay bars were like-“

“So I can’t be curious about gay culture without being gay?”

Danny shrugged as they both took another step forward in line. “Never said you were gay, you know, bisexuals exist.. . pansexuals exist. . demisexuals-“

“I get it,” Ray said quickly, desperate for him to drop the subject.

After getting into the club, Danny walked directly to the bar. Since Ray was driving his car home, he would be able to drink and forget all about his ex, Nick, who. .happened to also have the same idea apparently. He was dancing near the bar with some shirtless guy. Danny ordered two shots and took them back to back without a chaser.

“It won’t be hard to find someone hotter than Nick here,” Ray said as her eyes scanned over someone with an eight pack.

“You’re right!” Danny said. He bit his lip as he made eye contact with a cute brunette dancing alone. “I think I just found one.”

“What about me?” Ray asked. “How can I tell if a guy is bi?”

“There is no way of telling. Just ask.”

“A-ask? I can’t just ask!”

“I’ll find you someone!” Danny said as he started to walk toward the hot guy he was eyeing.

“You do that! I’m going to use the restroom. Don’t go far!”

After coming out of the bathroom, Danny was nowhere to be found. Ray stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the sea of dancing to find her brother. Sadly, she was too short to see much of anything. Her best bet was to push through the crowd in the direction she had last seen him.

“Excuse me-sorry- hi, excuse me, oh, uh-nice Speedo. Yup-okay, excuse me.” Eventually she made it to a more open space on the dance floor. Ray jumped to try and see over the crowd in every direction. The dark lighting of the club wasn’t helping, but thankfully her jumping just looked like she was badly dancing to whatever siren infused song was blasting through the speakers.

A very sweaty, shirtless man ran into Ray, causing her to stumble back into someone else.

“Sorry!” She squealed as she turned to face the person who caught her.

“Ray?” The boy yelled over the music.

“Stiles?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” They both asked at the same time.

The crowd seemed to close in on them. The sweaty guy was inching close to Ray again. She took a step toward Stiles just as he took a step toward her, the two colliding once again and immediately apologizing, but this time they didn’t have the room to back off.

“You haven’t seen my brother, have you?”

“Scott and I have been looking for him. Jackson is here.”

“Here?! As in-“

“As the kanima, yeah,” he explained. “What are you doing here? This is a gay bar.”

“I’m well aware of that-,” Ray said as she inched away from the Speedo guy and ended up hiding behind Stiles to get away from him. She tiptoed totalk into the boy’s ear, “I’m trying to make sure Danny doesn’t get drugged, or well- I was before I lost him. He was supposed to find me a bi guy to dance with.”

“Well, you found one!” Stiles yelled over his shoulder at her.

“I-what?”

“Nevermind,” Stiles said as he turned to face her. His hands landed on her hips to steady himself when some guy brushed past them. The one he held over her bruise barely brushed her skin while his other hand firmly grabbed her good hip. “Let’s go find Danny.”

Ray looked up at Stiles then gasped. Above them on the rafters was the kanima’s glowing yellow eyes. She quickly put her hands on the back of his neck to protect him in case the creature attacked. It hissed at her then ran off toward the center of the bar.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Stiles asked.

“Protecting your neck from getting slashed!” Ray said defensively. She looked down at his hands on her hips and countered with, “What are you doing?” She looked to him for an answer and noticed the way his eyes flickered to her lips.

“Protecting your bruise from being bumped into. . ?” he said quietly, still not removing his hands despite the uncertainty in his tone.

Though, she hadn’t moved hers either. For a moment she got lost in the way the colorful blue and pink lasers reflected in his eyes. His hands felt warm and sent shivers up her spine as they inched up her waist then ever so slightly moved to her back, drawing her closer to him. His hesitation felt like he was trying to read her, like he was checking to make sure every slight movement was okay.

“Did you want to dance?” Ray asked. One of her hands moved from covering his neck to trail downand stop at his chest. She swore she could feel his heart pounding against her hand.

His eyes went wide as she started to move to the beat. Part of her thought, why not let Scott find Jackson? What were her and Stiles going to do anyway? Stand around and worry?

A scream could barely be heard over the blaring music. Ray closed her eyes and mentally cursed at herself for getting so easily distracted. Her head rested on his beating chest while Stiles looked around the club for the source of the scream. A few shouts followed, these much louder. The DJ cut the music just as everyone started yelling.

So much for making a move.

“This way,” Stiles said as he pulled her through the crowd of people screaming and running the opposite direction.

As people passed by, Ray studied their faces, hoping to find her step brother. The closer they got to the center of the dance floor, the tighter her chest felt. It was when Stiles stopped so that they wouldn’t step on a body lying on the floor that Ray broken down into tears. The man lying on the floor was the cute brunette Danny had left to dance with. Her brother probably wasn’t far.

“Ray!” Scott’s voice could barely be heard over the screaming crowd. Ray sprinted toward her friend who was kneeling over a body.

“Danny!” Ray shouted as she fell to the floor.

“He’s fine,” Scott reassured as Stiles dropped to his knees on the other side of her.

“Fine? I can’t move my-my anything!” Danny said.

“Check his neck,” Stiles said.

Ray carefully turned her brother’s head so that her and her friends could see the distinct slit across the back of his neck. She put his head back down then fished his phone from his pocket.

“I’m calling an ambulance for everyone,” Ray told her brother. She looked to Scott and said, “Go find it.”

“You’ll be okay?” Scott asked.

“We’ll manage,” Ray said confidently. Scott ran off, but Stiles didn’t move am inch. Ray rolled her eyes and said, “They’ll need a get away driver, Stilinski.”

Stiles tucked a fallen strand of hair out of Ray’s blushing face and said, “I’m not gonna leave y-“

“Hands off my sister, Stilinski,” Danny said. “As soon as I get feeling back in my hands-“

“Alright, alright!” Stiles said, holding his hands up. “I’m going.”

“You better run!” Danny yelled as Stiles went off in the direction Scott ran.

It took forever for the ambulances to show up, and even longer for Danny to be seen. He had gotten feeling back in his toes by the time they put him on a stretcher.

Scott came over to find out why Jackson might have attacked Danny, but he also wanted to check on him and make sure he and Ray were holding up. Danny was fine because his ex had also gotten paralyzed. Ray was freaking out about how their parents were going to react, but generally she was doing okay.

After they put Danny in the ambulance Ray realized she was left alone with no phone and no ride. Since so many people had gotten paralyzed, there wasn’t room for Ray to travel in the ambulance. She had been so caught up in worrying about what her mother was going to do when she found out that Ray hadn’t thought to ask Danny for the car keys until the ambulance was already pulling out of the parking lot.

The scene around her was crazy with all the emergency vehicles and deputies questioning people to find out what everyone had taken. The paramedic had told Ray earlier he thought it was Ketamine, a horse tranquilizer people took at raves and festivals. Apparently if they take too much, the people are temporarily paralyzed, sometimes to the point where they can’t even talk, but their minds are still fully functioning.

Convenient that there was a drug so similar to the effects of a werelizard’s supernatural, paralytic goo. That definitely made it easier to explain to doctors.

Ray’s eyes fell on a certain cop who was being a lot louder than all the others. This wasn’t just a cop, but the county sheriff, Noah Stilinski. He was yelling at his son, of course. Ray felt a rush of relief lift the worry off her shoulders. She wouldn’t be stuck at the club alone with no ride. She had Stiles.

“Hey, Stiles,” Ray said cheerily as she jogged up to where the sheriff was grilling the boy, “Thank you so much for waiting around to give me a ride to the hospital. I really owe you one!” She flashed the sheriff a heart warming smile and said, “Oh hi, Mr. Stilinski!”

“Now this-,” the sheriff shook his head in disbelief, “This definitely doesn’t add up. What are you doing at this kind of club, Raymona?”

“My brother and his boyfriend broke up the other night, and I didn’t want him to go out alone because. . Well, for this reason exactly. I was trying to watch over him in the club, but I never saw him take anything. .”

“That’s very kind of you, but that still doesn’t explain why my son is here.”

Both the sheriff and Ray looked to Stiles for an answer. Being under all the pressure must have made Stiles nervous because his excuse was a fumbling mess.

“Well, Dad, there’s a conversation we should have-“

“You’re not gay.”

“I could be!”

“Not dressed like that you aren’t.”

“What’s wrong with-,” Stiles looked down at his clothes and frowned. It made Ray think back to a moment they had in the club earlier.

_“He was supposed to find me a bi guy to dance with.”_

_“Well, you found one!”_

Had Stiles. . come out to her?

The sheriff didn’t leave Ray much time to dwell on it before he started getting angry with his son again, “This is the second crime scene that you just happened to have shown up on. And at this point, I've been fed so many lies, I'm not sure I know the kid standing in front of me. Now, what the hell is going on?”

“Dad, I- I. .”

“The truth, Stiles.”

“The truth, alright. .Well, the truth is that-“

Ray cut in, “I told them I felt awkward coming to a gay bar, so Scott and Stiles came as buffers that way when Danny went off to mingle I wouldn’t be left all alone.”

Sheriff seemed satisfied enough with that answer. “Well, that's really good of you guys. You're good friends.”

“Yes, they are,” Ray agreed. She patted Stiles on the shoulder then asked, “Will you take me to meet Danny at the hospital now?” The sheriff wasn’t going to keep a girl from seeing her brother in the hospital, so he let the two teens go without further questioning.

Stiles scratched the back of his neck and said, “Thanks for covering. I owe you one.”

“I wasn’t going to let shitty supernatural stuff be the reason you come out to your dad.”

“Ha, hey, whoa,” Stiles said nervously as he glanced toward his jeep. Scott was watching them curiously from the passenger seat. “I’m not really gay. I was just- uh.”

Ray glanced at the jeep then looked back at the boy in front of her. It was obvious he didn’t want Scotty, who could hear every word they were saying with his werewolf abilities, to know about anything he might had slipped and said to her at the club. She nudged his shoulder playfully in an attempt to look casual, “Hey man, just joking with ya. I know you are into girls. You talked about your love for Lydia Martin in excruciating detail for like six years straight.”

Stiles was talking with his hands like he always did when he got nervous. He kept up with Ray’s joking tone as a cover, “One could say I like girls a little too much.”

“And one would be right to say so,” Ray said as they got to the jeep.

Scott got down from the jeep to let Ray in the back. She popped the passenger seat forward then screamed and covered her eyes. Scott quickly pushed the seat back into it’s upright position to block her view.

“Sorry, I forgot,” Scott mumbled.

“Why is he naked!” Ray yelled while Scott shushed her. Never did she ever think her night could get any worse than it was, but seeing Jackson Whittemore naked had definitely topped the cake.

“I’ll sit in the back with him,” Scott offered as he crawled into the backseat.

“Damn right you will!”

Sadly, that ride to the hospital was probably the last time Ray would be seeing her friends for a while. Not long after Ray made it to Danny’s hospital room, their parents showed up, completely furious. Danny’s mom even showed up, and she was absolutely hysterical. She felt so terrible and kept saying she’d be more involved in Danny’s life after this. Danny’s dad was trying to process the fact that his son was “drugged”, console his ex wife, and simultaneously keep his new wife from murdering her daughter in the middle of the hospital.

Sonia was furious until she learned how Ray had gotten into the club. . Seeing Ray’s fake I.D. sent the woman over board. She yelled at her daughter in front of the entire hospital staff with no shame. Ray didn’t even try to fight it or explain herself. The situation looked really bad from her mother’s perspective. It seemed as though Ray went with her step brother to a club and just watched while someone drugged him and paralyzed him.

“And if you think I’m replacing your phone after this. . No phone. No TV. No friends! No video calls with Gabby! No anything! You are grounded, Raymona. Grounded, you hear me?”

“Yes, Mom,” Ray mumbled.

“Sonia,” Marcus said softly. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. “Let’s talk more about this at home. It’s been a long night for everyone.”

Thank god for Ray’s stepdad because without him, Ray would probably be on a bus to military school. Danny was required to stay the night so that the hospital staff could observe him, but the rest of the family got to go home.

Ray’s mom dropped her off at school the next day and made sure her daughter walked into the building. Sonia said she would be back to put her up at 3:15, and that if Ray wasn’t waiting at the front of the school she would be in “big trouble”. As if she already wasn’t grounded indefinitely with no phone, no laptop, no friends. .

And no opportunity to hang out with Stiles because of course that plan just had to keep being cancelled.

Speaking of the boy. . It wasn’t uncommon for Stiles to run into class right before the bell, but when the seat next to Ray was still empty five minutes after second period started, she began to worry. Ray looked over her shoulder where Scott was seated behind the empty seat and tried to grab the boy’s attention. Today of all days, Scott decided to be extra focused. Ray should have been too since Coach was giving them just a couple minutes to review their notes before handing out the midterm.

“Scott,” Ray whispered. She knew he would have been able to hear her even if she was across the room, so why was he ignoring her? “Yo, Scotty.”

Scott glanced at her then looked forward again. “What? I’m trying to study.”

“Where’s Stiles?” It wasn’t like Stiles to just skip out on a major test. Ray was really starting to worry.

Scott looked constipated as he focused on his notes. He still didn’t look directly at her as he said, “Home sick.”

Stiles must have been really sick if he couldn’t even come just to take the test second period. Ray reached out for the phone on Scott’s desk while saying, “Let me borrow your-“

Scott quickly put his hand over his phone so that she couldn’t grab it. The two best friends finally made eye contact. Scott’s eyebrow quivered, causing Ray to narrow her eyes at the boy.

“You’re lying,” she accused.

“No! He’s just sick.”

“Then let me use your phone to text him.”

“You can’t! I have. . Things on there I don’t want you to see,” Scott explained.

“Oh come on, Scotty. I’ve know you since you were four. You think accidentally seeing a dick pick you sent to Ali is gonna phase me? Just let me text my-“

“Alright!” Coach said as he came back into the room with the freshly printed mid terms he forgot to make before class (hence the extra time he let everyone study). “Notes away and let’s get this over with. Don’t disappoint me.”

Ray huffed and closed her notebook. Coach began handing out the papers on the other end of the room. She turned around in hopes of convincing Scott at the last second, but was just met with a question from him she hadn’t expect.

“Your what?”

“Huh?” Ray asked.

“You said, ‘Just let me text my. . .’ So? Your what?” Scott smirked as Ray’s cheeks went warm.

“My friend,” Ray insisted.

“Since when are you two friends?” Scott asked.

“Shut up, McCall.”

“Nerine,” Coach said as he approached her row, “Your boyfriend better have a good excuse for missing the midterm.”

“Stiles isn’t my boyfriend,” Ray said defensively.

“Nerine,” Coach said firmly, “I don’t give a rat’s ass. Just tell him to come up with a good excuse or he’s on the bench for the rest of this season and next season. Got it?”

“Got it,” Ray mumbled.

With the big Econ mid term over with, Ray felt a weight off her shoulders. After the class she immediately texted Gabby to tell her the exam wasn’t as hard as Coach had been hyping it up to be. By the time they met up for lunch, both girls had realized they studied way harder than necessary.

“He seriously just took all our old quiz questions and smashed it up into one test,” Ray said.

Gabby bit into her apple then said, “I think Coach puts in less effort for that class than we do as students.”

Scott McCall entered the cafeteria looking pale like he had just seen a ghost. With all that goes on in this town, Ray wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case. Scott tugged nervously on his backpack straps and kept his head down, avoiding making eye contact with anyone as he beelined it toward Ray’s table.

“Oh great,” Gabby mumbled sarcastically, “Here comes Boy Next Door to steal you from me so that you guys can run off to some urgent matter.”

“Scotty won’t steal me from you,” Ray said as she rolled her eyes.

As soon as Scott arrived at their table, he said, “Ray, can I steal you for a moment?”

Gabby snorted. “You can have her, but just warning you, she’s moody because Stiles isn’t here today.”

“Hey!” Ray said, “I’m not moody because of Stiles. I’m moody because I’m grounded again. You know that!”

“Meet in the hallway in five,” Scott said before hurrying out of the cafeteria.

Gabby raised her eyebrows and looked at Ray in confusion. “What did I say? You guys are all so weird lately.”

“Scott has always been weird.”

Gabby was right though, Scott was being weirder than usual today. First that morning he wouldn’t let Ray borrow his phone, now in the hallway he was acting all secretive and suspicious. The last time Ray had seen him this twitchy was when he invited her over to hang out so that her mom could set up a surprise party for her thirteenth birthday. After only twenty minutes of hanging out, he spilled the beans about the party and ruined the surprise. Ray didn’t mind though, she hated surprises.

“And why do you need to know what was on the video Danny was fixing for Jackson?” Ray asked.

“I-well, we just need to know if that was the reason the kanima attacked Danny at the club,” Scott told her.

“Right, right. . . And by ‘we’ you mean. .?”

“Me and Stiles,” Scott said. His eyes went wide, realizing his slip up.

Ray smirked. She caught him. Now he would be too nervous to keep up with his lies. “I thought Stiles was sick?”

“He is!” Scott said quickly. “But-we still need to figure out why Jackson went after Danny before-,” Scott stopped himself.

“Before. .what?” Ray pushed.

“Before. . Before Jackson tries something again!”

Something still seemed slight off, but Ray decided Scott’s answer was sufficient enough. She sighed and said, “I don’t know what the video was about, but I do know Danny’s car is still at the bar with his iPad if you are that worried about it.”

“Great! Okay! Let’s go now!” Scott started down the hall then back tracked when he realized Ray wasn’t following, “Uh, Ray? Aren’t you coming?”

“Fifth period starts in seven minutes. I can’t skip. I’m already grounded, and you can’t skip either! I would like to be able to walk the stage at graduation with my best friend alongside me. . Can’t this all wait until after school?”

“But what if Jackson gets out before then?”

A tense moment of silence fell between the two as Ray processed what she just heard.

“Gets. . Out?” She repeated.

“Shit,” Scott mumbled to himself, “Stiles is gonna kill me, oh god.”

“Scott,” Ray said firmly, “What the hell is going on.”

“Okay, listen, don’t be mad.”

“Don’t give me a reason to be mad!”

“We were going to tell you about it all. You know, after we already let him go.”

“Let who go? Jackson?” Ray was completely lost with what Scott was insinuating. Surely they didn’t. . Capture Jackson.

“We might have. . Stolen a prison transport van to keep Jackson in until we find out why he was trying to kill Danny.”

“You-,” Ray looked around the hallway then shoved Scott out the front doors of the school for more privacy. “YOU WHAT?”

“I said don’t be mad,” Scott begged.

“You stole a prison transport van and what? Abducted a classmate?! Scott! How was I not going to be mad?! This is the stupidest plan you have ever come up with. Stealing county property. . An entire van, Scott! What the hell were two two thinking?”

“We didn’t have a choice! Jackson is killing people. It was either trap him or kill him and we can’t just-ugh! Stiles was right. You don’t get it.”

Ray took in a deep breath. Her voice got quiet, “Stiles told you not to tell me about this.”

“Yeah!” Scott was still mad, not realizing Ray’s sudden change in emotions, “And he was right! You always say our plans are stupid, but I’m just trying to not get anyone killed!”

Her best friend wasn’t yelling at her, not really. If anything it just sounded like he was desperate and begging. Begging for her not to be mad, begging for people to stop dying, begging for normalcy. If the alternative to capturing Jackson was letting the hunters kill him, then maybe the boys didn’t have much of a choice. Still, they could have at least told her the plan.

But Stiles didn’t want her to know.

Ray knew she was being petty as the words rolled off her tongue, “Well, if Stiles thinks I’m too stuck up to _get it_ , then you can let him know he doesn’t have to tell me anything ever again because-because I don’t care anymore!”

She stormed back into the school, slamming the heavy doors behind her. Students looked to the noise then quickly looked away when they saw how worked up she seemed, not wanting to be in her line of fire. Then that fire faded like someone had poured a bucket of her head. All she could picture was her best friend on the other side of the door with his head hung low. He didn’t deserve to be lashed out at. Ray’s stupid crush on their mutual friend might have been blowing up in her face, but that wasn’t Scott’s fault.

Her hand clutched onto her necklace as she took in a breath of confidence. She spun around and opened the door to apologize.

Scott was already gone.

For the rest of the school day people were asking if she knew where Allison, Stiles and Scott were. Every time one of their names was mentioned, it felt like part of Ray was being chipped away. She should be with them, god knows where in the middle of the preserve. Instead she was stuck wondering if they were okay and feeling like the worst person on planet earth for blowing up on her best friend.

“Oh no,” Raymona mumbled from under her blanket. The distinct screeching of a certain Jeep’s tires echoed through her open bedroom window late that night. She willed herself out of bed, tugging the blanket with her to wear it as hood as she looked out into her street.

Luckily, Stiles had parked in front of Scott’s house. Ray thought he and Scott were off somewhere hiding a prison transport van in the woods, but maybe they had given up on that ridiculous idea and decided it was time to go home. Ray didn’t see either of the boys in the Jeep. She shrugged and left her window open, assuming they had both gone inside the house next door.

As she turned to go back to her bed, she heard a rustling of leaves. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the tree in between her and her neighbor’s rooftops. Sure enough, Stiles was climbing up, getting ready to pull himself onto her roof.

“Don’t even think about coming any closer, Stilinski,” Ray warmed him.

Stiles grunted as he pulled himself onto her roof. “I miss the ladder. Why did your stepdad have to move it?”

“Maybe if I let him know boys would like to use it to climb into my window, he’ll put it back,” Ray said sarcastically.

“‘Boys’?” Stiles asked as he climbed through her window, despite her protests, “You got others sneaking through your window that I don’t know about?”

“Tons. Ones who don’t keep secrets from me and break the law behind my back like _some people_. By the way, screw you.”

“Scott said you were mad. That’s why I’m here-,” Stiles rolled his eyes then picked up a random trinket from her desk out of curiosity, “What’s this for?”

“It’s just something to keep my jewelry in,” Ray lied as she snatched the music small box from him to put it back. “Look, I’m grounded. If you insist on being here, you have to keep it down. My mom will be home soon.”

Stiles frowned at the box. “If you keep jewelry in it, then why is it so light?”

“Don’t go all Detective Stilinski on me. I’m not in the mood to answer a million ques-hey!”

He had picked it back up and opened it. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Too late now.

A single, pressed daisy was taped on the inside of the lid. Stiles looked to see Ray’s reaction, but she had pulled the blanket over her head completely to hide from him. He awkwardly cleared his throat then set the box back on her desk.

“Hey so uh- about the whole kidnapping Jackson and keeping it a secret from you thing,” Stiles blurted out in an effort to change the subject.

Ray came out from under the blanket with bright red cheeks that didn’t at all match the angry look on her face. “I can’t believe you guys did that.”

“Scott wanted to tell you, so don’t be mad at him.”

“So just be mad at you?” Ray asked. Her eyes caught sight of the car outside her window. How long had it been parked in the driveway?

Stiles winced. “Yeah. Just be mad at-“

“Hide!” Ray whispered to the boy as she shoved him toward her closet.

“Wh-why are-“

Ray shut her closet door then jumped on her bed just as the footsteps coming up the stairs ended. Her mother waltzed into her room unannounced with her hand on her hips.

“So, I’ve been talking to Danny about what happened yesterday,” Sonia said. “You’re still grounded, but. . Only for a week. And I will let you have your laptop back if you promise to use it only for school.”

“I promise,” Ray said quickly.

Sonia sighed heavily. “Danny says you were just going with him to watch over him. But still, you had a fake I.D. and that is not okay. Do you understand?”

“I do. I shouldn’t be going to clubs like that until I’m old enough.”

“Yes, right,” Sonia said as she looked around her daughter’s bedroom. It was clean, so there was nothing to get mad at her for. She crossed her arms and said, “You can have the laptop back on the morning. It’s too late to be using the screen like that. . not good for your eyes and I don’t want you up all night messaging Gabby or Scott or those other girls.”

“Okay,” Ray said softly, hoping to sound as agreeable as possible so that her mom would get out of her room.

“And you are still grounded from hanging out with friends including the Stilinski boy. I don’t care that his dad is the sheriff. That doesn’t mean you guys aren’t running around town in that Jeep unsupervised doing God knows what.”

“Mom!” Ray groaned as she covered her face with her pillow. “We don’t _do_ anything in the Jeep.”

Sonia’s jaw dropped. “That is not what I was insinuating, but now that I know that’s the first thing you think of-“

“Mom!”

“-you are definitely not allowed to hang out with Stiles anymore. Ever. Not unless I know Scott is with you.”

“Oh my-deja de torturarme!” Ray begged.

“Fine, fine,” Sonia said on her way out the door. “Don’t stay up late.”

Ray waited a minute for her mother to make it down the hall to her own room before getting up to let Stiles out of the closet.

“So you think of doing God knows what in my Jeep, huh?” He said with a wink.

“First of all, don’t wink in my vicinity ever again-“

“Why? Does it make you nervous?”

“Secondly!-“ Ray mentally cursed at herself because she should have had the urge to shove him back into the closet, but instead she kind of liked how close he had gotten. She shook her thoughts away and gestured toward her open window and said, “You heard the woman, no hanging out with Stiles. Begone, heathen.”

“Alright, alright. I’m going, but let me just say what I came here to say.”

“You’ve done all this talking and still haven’t said what you wanted to?” Ray asked, trying to sound bored as a cover up.

“It was shitty to not include you just because I knew you wouldn’t approve. I thought, God, it’s so stupid, but I thought we could figure out why he was going after Danny and solve the issue then let Jackson free _and_ take back the van all before you found out. The plan was stupid and illegal and everything you say it was which is why we kept you out of it. You were already in thin ice from the whole club thing last night and- yeah- I don’t know what I was thinking. Not clearly, obviously. And now the police know Jackson was kidnapped and-“

“What?” Ray blurted. “Excuse me, the police fucking know?”

“Allison’s grandpa questioned her at school about it. The police have been looking for the van all day. She didn’t tell you?”

So not only did her best friends kidnap someone, but the authorities were into them.

Ray shook her head, saying, “I really can’t believe the mess you guys have made.”

“Aren’t you glad we didn’t include you now?” He tried to joke, but instantly went back to serious when Ray glared at him. “You probably hate me.”

Did she? Even if they had told her last night what they were doing, Ray wouldn’t have been much help. She was grounded from everything and everyone. Now that she knew, all the information was giving her was anxiety. Maybe it was for the best that she was kept out of it.

She just didn’t like being in the dark.

“If something had happened to you guys. .”

“Nothing will,” Stiles insisted, “We’ll get Jackson to believe us and then. . We’ll save him.”

“Save him?! Stiles, we’re teenagers. How do you expect to magically cure a murderous were-lizard? Jackson would be better off in the hands of the hunters who know what they’re doing or. . Scott’s boss!”

Stiles’s eyes went wide. He sounded like his mind was somewhere else completely as he mumbled, “Scott’s boss. .”

Ray went on, “Yeah! Deaton knows about all of this. Maybe he knows how to help Jackson, or at least how to capture his kind.”

“Ray,” Stiles said as he grabbed her shoulders firmly. “You’re a genius!”

He planted an abrupt kiss on her forehead then rushed out her window, nearly falling off the roof because of how fast he was going. Ray’s hand gingerly moved up to touch the wet spot on her foreheadshe looked down at her hand in shock then over to her mirror where she felt like the girl looking back at her was judging her. The sound of the Jeep starting back up caused Ray to jolt out of her shock and rush to the window just in time to see it speed off.

She sat on the floor in front of her window. Her arm rested on the windowsill as she leaned on it to gaze out at night sky. In that moment she wasn’t dwelling on their murdering lizard classmate, hunters or even her week long grounding. All that was on her mind was the way her friend’s eyes lit up just moments ago.

_“Ray, you’re a genius!”_

She smiled and tucked that memory away for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you for 1,000 hits! We hit it last week while I was gone. I was struggling hard last week and when I realized the story hit that. . It just reminded me that things aren’t always as hard and crazy as they were.  
> I live in California. The counties surrounding us shut down again for quarantine last week. I work at a franchise salon in a small town so things got CRAZY for us. People drove over an hour for a haircut at our store.  
> As of yesterday, Saturday, my county shut down as well. So I am out of work again which sucks, but. . I have more time to write!! This story is a fun hobby for me, so I’m excited to put more time into it again.
> 
> Also excited to get back into Animal Crossing. . All I do is grow water flowers and WOW that game is like de-stressing MAGIC.
> 
> Work was not my only reason for not posting last week, but I’m staying positive no matter what life wants to throw at me. I hope you guys are all staying safe and positive too. This year sucks, but we’ll get through it.


	19. Know Thy Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//discussions of abuse. Isaac’s is not discussed in detail, and the flashback is just eluding to abuse.  
> TW//claustrophobia. Isaac canonically has claustrophobia. This is only mentioned, not shown in detail.
> 
> These things are mentioned to show that Ray not only has empathy for Isaac’s past, but also an understanding from what she saw during her childhood being neighbors with the McCalls.

Even the human embodiment of sunshine and rainbows was not going to be liked by everyone. They were bound to rub someone the wrong way or even be disliked for just being too nice. Honestly, Ray wasn’t going around with a positive outlook and giving every person the benefit of the doubt either, so she didn’t expect that in return. Especially not from a group of werewolves who had kidnapped her and attacked her on multiple occasions.

Had she expected Isaac Lahey to walk into first period Monday morning and sit down next to her with a wink as if nothing happened? No.

Well, actually, yes she did. Or at least she didn’t think it would bother her so bad when he sat across the room and refused to look in her general direction. Derek and his pack literally tried to kill Ray’s friend last Friday, so why was Ray so concerned with one of them ignoring her Monday morning? Shouldn’t she be thankful he was keeping his distance?

Now here she was hours later in the library still thinking about it. Of course, she had been roped into some bogus plan Scott and Allison set up just so that they could talk to each other without getting caught. Ray agreed to the plan, thinking it would distract her from the odd sense of guilt she felt whenever she would catch a glimpse of Isaac Lahey’s blonde curls from afar. She was standing alone in an aisle of books on shelves begging to be picked up and read, but her own thoughts kept her prisoner.

Had she done something to make him to distant?

Allison Argent popped up from around the corner. Ray scrambled to grab a book that way it didn’t look like she had just been staring off into space while waiting for her friend to arrive.

“Ali, hello, hi, you are here! Where we agreed to meet, just the two of us.” Ray felt like she was physically digging herself in a hole as she spoke. She knew Allison couldn’t hear her thoughts, but Ray feared the girl was going to ask her why she was acting so strange.

An, “oh my god,” could be heard from Stiles in the aisle over. Ray could picture him rolling his eyes.

Allison was quick to start digging through her bag for her tablet, eager to share the information she got from their red haired friend. Her tone was far more casual than Ray’s seeming to think Ray’s nervousness was from the plan and not the girl’s own thoughts.

“Nice to see you too, Raymona.”

“Yup. Seeing me and only me. I’m the only one here.”

Stiles moved a handful of books from the shelves so that the girls could see them in the next aisle. He scowled at Ray. She felt guilty under his gaze, guilty she had been thinking so deeply about another boy, even if the thoughts were all harmless and platonic.

“You are the worst actor. I wouldn’t even cast you as a tree,” the boy told her.

Scott hummed and added, “Because she’s too short.”

“No! Because-well actually, that too.”

“Can you two just focus?” Ray asked desperately, wanting to hear about what Allison found so that her mind could stop being flooded with thoughts of the blonde boy ignoring her.

Allison placed her tablet on the shelf for Scott to pick up. “It's everything Lydia can translate. And trust me, she was very confused.”

“Yeah,” Scott said as he scrolled through the many pages text, “What'd you tell her?”

“That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures.”

“I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures,” Stiles told her.

“O-oh. Great.” She looked to Ray for advice, but all Ray could do was blush. She wasn’t going to admit that she was also part of an online gaming community that battled mythical creatures to one of the most popular and hands down the prettiest girl in school. That was social suicide. Besides, Ray wasn’t really that person anymore. . Someone who had time for battling virtual mythical creatures when real life ones were knocking at her door. And. . looking back at her in the mirror.

Thankfully, Scott was staying on task and shifting everyone’s focus back to what was important, “Okay, does it say how to find out who's controlling him?”

“Not really. But Stiles was right about the murderers.”

Stiles did a little cheer, causing Ray to roll her eyes. She could pretend to be annoyed with him all she wanted, but the small smile on her face said otherwise. They met eyes through the hole in the shelves. Stiles looked so smug. Ray mouthed, “ _Dork_ ,” at him, and for some reason, her heart nearly stopped when his eyes flickered down to read the word from her lips. When his eyes met her’s again, she had this terrifying feeling like he knew how nervous she was. She covered it up by turning her body to completely face Allison as she spoke.

“It calls the kanima a weapon of vengeance. There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the kanima to execute murderers in his village-“

“Alright see?” Stiles interjected, “-So maybe it's not all that bad.”

“Until the bond grew strong enough that it killed whoever he wanted it to.”

“All bad, all very, very bad.”

“So Jackson is being controlled by someone who will soon have the power to kill anyone? Nice,” Ray grumbled, “Is there any way of stopping that from happening?”

“Maybe,” Allison told her, “The kanima's actually supposed to be a werewolf. But it can't be-“

"’Until it resolves that in its past which manifested it.’,” Scott finished for her, reading directly from the tablet.

“Okay, if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you that myself,” Stiles grumbled.

“We all could,” Ray said tiredly.

“What if-,” Allison wondered aloud, “What if it has something to do with his parents? His real parents.”

“Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?” Scott asked.

“Lydia might, or maybe even Danny,” Ray offered.

“What if they don’t know anything?”

“Yeah,” Stiles added, “Jackson isn’t exactly an open book.”

Allison packed her tablet safely away back in her bag. “Well, he doesn't have a restraining order against me, so. . I'll talk to him myself.”

“And I’ll talk to Lyds. Hopefully she knows something because Danny is going to be suspicious if we ask him,” Ray told them.

“Okay, what do I do?” Scott asked.

“You have a make-up exam, remember?” Allison told him. She held his hand through the shelves. “Promise me you’ll focus on that.”

Scott held his girlfriend’s hand so tenderly. He played with a ring on her finger. Ray’d mind was screaming at her not to glance at the boy on the other side of the self, but she couldn’t help herself. Stiles was already watching her when she did, causing a warm glow to reach both their cheeks.

“If he does anything, you run the other way,” Scott told Allison.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Allison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me. If he does anything-“

“Like?”

“Anything. . weird or bizarre. . anything-“

Stiles pushed his head through the shelves to add, “Anything evil!” Allison pushed his head back to the other side of the shelves. Ray giggled and smiled at her friend. Allison offered her a smile back, dimples and all paired with a wink.

Ray’s mind played tricks on her by flashing a memory of her stepbrother.

_“I know gay when I see it.”_

_“I like someone else,”_ Ray told him at the time. That someone else was standing on the other side of the bookshelf. He was also the only person Ray felt she could talk to at that moment. The only one who would get it. Though, she didn’t know if he was ready to talk about any of that. Or, even if she herself was.

Besides, she liked Stiles. That much she knew for certain. She wanted to hold his hand like Scott held Allison’s. That should be all that mattered. . Right?

Not long after Scott left to take his test, Allison left to find Jackson. After her friend said goodbye, Ray started walking down the aisle to meet with Stiles in the next one. He seemed to have the same idea because the two collided at the end of the aisle.

“Sorry-,” Ray blurted as Stiles said, “Jesus!” and dropped his book. Ray reached down to pick it up for him, but so did the boy. Their heads knocked together, completely ruining the fact that their hands were brushing against one another.

“Watch it, Stilinski!”

“You watch it, Nerine!”

“You two, out!” The librarian demanded.

Stiles followed close behind Ray, insisting he tag along to ask Lydia about Jackson. His presence caused her a fair amount of anxiety, but she welcomed that feeling. It provided evidence that she liked boys. Boys made her nervous. Boys. Not girls. Not Allison. Definitely not Erica. Boys. Stiles, specifically.

It was fairly easy to spot the friend she was looking for sitting in the quad with a group of other cheerleaders. Lydia Martin tended to stand out in a crowd. It could have been her Disney Princess-esque eyes, her bright, star dazzling smile, or most likely, her eye-catching red hair. Either way, Ray was thankful to find her so quick. That is. . until a certain boy leaving the quad with his head ducked down drew Ray’s attention away from the mission.

Isaac Lahey, the boy who had been ignoring her all morning, caught sight of Ray entering the quad and instantly decided it was time for him to leave. Being ignored by someone she herself should be ignoring flared up Ray’s ego. How dare he act like _she_ had been the one to do something wrong. Unless. . Maybe she did do something wrong. It didn’t matter, what did matter was that he was getting away. For some reason, Ray couldn’t just let that happen.

She turned around to face Stiles. Her hand landed firmly on his arms to show how serious she was being. “Stiles, I need you to go ask Lydia.”

“M-me? Ask Lydia? She doesn’t trust me like she trusts you! Why me?”

“Because I have something I need to go do.”

Stiles scoffed. “What could be more important than-“

“Thank you for understanding!” Ray said sweetly.

Stiles closed his eyes in defeat. He really didn’t want to talk to Lydia Martin alone, especially not while she was sitting with a group of her cheer friends. Before Stiles could open his mouth to argue further, he felt a pair of lips lightly tap his cheek. By the time he opened his eyes, Ray was running off down the hall and calling over her shoulder, “I owe you one!”

What he wanted to do was tell her to come back, pull her close, kiss her, really kiss her. But before he could muster up the courage to say anything at all she was around a corner and out of sight. He rubbed a hand over his hair and pouted, feeling like he just missed some big opportunity.

Ray was full of pure adrenaline. She couldn’t believe what she had just dared to do, at school, in front of other students! And the best part of it was, she wanted to turn back and do it again. She liked Stiles. That was certain. So who cares if she had a crush on a girl or two? That didn’t change the fact that her entire body was buzzing with goosebumps just from kissing a boy’s cheek.

The girl almost forgot why she had run off until she caught sight of Isaac tying his shoe up ahead of her. When the blonde walked past an empty classroom, Ray grabbed his wrist and pulled him in. At first, he seemed okay, slightly annoyed but generally calm. When Ray shut and locked the door, Isaac’s face went pale.

“What are you doing?” He said quickly. His arms hugged his middle like he was trying to make himself look smaller.

Ray tilted her head in confusion, “Just giving us some pri-“

“Open it!” Isaac demanded, his voice cracking and his eyes flashing a bright golden before he squeezed them shut.

“Alright!” Ray shouted back as she scrambled to open the door. The shuffling of the halls quickly masked the dull silence of the empty classroom. Isaac’s chest inhaled a deep breath before he opened his eyes which had gone back to their normal blue shade. Ray nervously played with her necklace as she asked, “You aren’t going to shift, are you?”

“No, no I won’t. I’m just-I’m claustrophobic.”

The realization had taken a fist full of guilt and punched Ray in the stomach. Scott had told her about Isaac’s basement. How had she not already known he was claustrophobic? She should have put that together and wow, she had been such an asshole just then shoving him into a classroom and locking him in.

“Shit, Isaac. I’m so sorry-“

“You didn’t know.”

“But still, I’m sorry. I just wanted to ask you something and- wow. Now it’s just going to sound stupid.”

“I’m good with stupid,” Isaac scrunched up his nose and went on, “I mean- you can still ask. I won’t get mad.”

“Well that’s what I wanted to ask you about,” Ray sounded unsure, “You’ve been avoiding me since what happened Friday and well, speaking of getting mad, Friday you-“

“Lost it,” he admitted, “I didn’t go in with the intention of attacking you guys like that.”

“I figured.” The two teens awkwardly looked around the room for a moment before Ray went on, “So, this is going to sound stupid, but, shouldn’t I be the one avoiding you?”

“Totally. Yeah, I totally deserve that.” Isaac’s blue eyes finally landed on Ray’s. “Sorry. I know we’re on opposite sides and all, but. . . I wasn’t trying to kill you. I just lost it when-,” he looked away again, “-the glass. .”

Raymona Nerine and Isaac Lahey didn’t talk much as kids. Even though he and Matt were into the same things as Stiles and Scott, the groups rarely collided due to Isaac’s timid nature and Stiles’s well- brashness. The only things she knew about Isaac were that he used to like comics as a kid and everything Jackson told the police about what went on in the Lahey household. Which felt like a lot to know about someone when they themselves hadn’t told you much of anything. Ray was connecting the dots and realizing that throwing something at him might have brought things up, things that upset him enough to lose control.

That wasn’t her intention with the glass, but that’s what happened. And while Isaac might have been actively working against her friends, that didn’t mean she wanted to cause that kind of pain to him. She wouldn’t wish that one anyone, not after she had witnessed it happening to her own best friend.

And just like that, a memory surfaced. She was taken back to a time when she was eight.

_An empty bowl of popcorn was placed upon Stiles Stilinski’s head like a helmet. The group surrounding the game board all laughed. Scott, the birthday boy, took the bowl from the boy’s head then handed it to Ray._

_“Will you go as my mom for more?”_

_“Why me?” Ray whined._

_“Because you’re in last place,” Stiles teased as he picked up the next card on the deck. “DOUBLE RED!” He happily moved his character further along the trail of Candyland._

_“Fine,” Ray grumbled. As she stood she asked, “Theo, do you want me to tell Melissa to call your mom?”_

_It was Theo’s first sleepover, and he was looking rather pale and shakey, though, that could have been from all the junk food they had been eating._

_“No!” The boy insisted. “I’m having fun still. .”_

_Ray felt bad for the boy. During her first sleepover at the McCall’s, she ran home in the middle of the night crying. Theo’s house was clear on the other side of town, so he couldn't be doing that. She hoped he would make it through the night okay._

_Muffled voices could be heard coming from the master bedroom at the end of the hall. As Ray got closer to the door, she was able to clearly make out what they were saying._

_“Drunk on his birthday! With a house full of other kids here. That’s real great, Rafe!”_

_A loud crash caused Ray to let out a small scream. She would have turned and run back to Scott’s room if she was petrified and stuck staring at the big wooden door to the master bedroom._

_“Shit, is one of them out there?” Scott’s dad sounded funny._

_The door creaked open just a sliver. Melissa pulled her frown into a warm smile when she saw Ray standing there with the empty bowl in her hands._

_“Did you guys want more popcorn, Stingray?”_

_Ray swallowed thickly and managed to nod yes._

_Melissa slipped her hand through the small crack she had opened the door to and took the bowl. “I’ll bring you guys some more in just a minute. Stay in Scotty’s room, okay?”_

_Ray didn’t have to be told twice. She sprinted back to Scott’s room and collapsed back into her place around the board, learning Scott had done a turn for her while she was gone and now she was stuck on a gooey gumdrop. . again._

“God-,” Ray said then took in a deep breath, eyes scanning the classroom for something easy to count. Her hands ran threw her hair then landed on her necklace for comfort. The boy in front of her looked concerned, probably because werewolves could smell emotion and Ray was a walking bag of fear and anxiety. “I can’t believe- shit. Isaac, I’m so sorry.”

Isaac fake laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You’re sorry? I attacked you. I should be the one apologizing.”

“I’m sorry for. . Doing what I did to cause the attack?”

He seemed to get it and looked down at his shoes. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for losing control. Sucks that we’re working against each other.”

“I know.” Ray let out a sigh of relief now that the awkwardness was past them. “We could be all working together to save Jackson, but no. It’s gotta be everyone against everyone.”

“So it is Jackson,” Isaac said slowly.

“He was the only other one in the house with us, and Lydia ran out. Who else could it have been?”

Isaac shrugged. “Derek just wanted us to confirm.”

“So you’ve gotta go report back to him now?” Ray teased.

The boy smiled and shook his head no, his curls bouncing around his forehead. “Nah. Erica will find out and tell him eventually.”

“Well,” Ray said as she grabbed her book bag. “Glad that’s all settled. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find out why Jackson turned into a rare myth that kills murderers and seeks a master to fill the void of not having a pack.”

“Wait,” Isaac took a moment to have an inner debate before going on, “I might know why. His parents. .”

Did he mean Jackson’s real parents or his adoptive ones? Ray had met his adoptive parents plenty of times before. They seemed like very lovely people, especially his mom.

“What’s wrong with them? They seem normal.”

“No, I mean. . His real parents are in Beacon Hills cemetery. I’ve seen their graves hundreds of times.”

That was another thing Ray forgot she knew about Isaac. His dad made him dig graves at the cemetery. A shiver raced down Ray’s spine just thinking about it.

“Well, that explains. . So much,” Ray mumbled. No wonder Jackson acted the way he did.

Isaac’s eyebrows scrunched together and he tilted his head. His eyes found Ray’s again to say, “Jackson and Scott are fighting.” The boy practically shoved Ray out of the way as he ran off to find Scott.

She took a second to cypher through her scrambled thoughts then called after him, “Wait, Isaac!”

In her efforts to catch up with him, she was reminded that without adrenaline in her system, she was absolute shit at running. Ray still really needed to start working out more. Hurting her hip had set her back, but that bruise was mostly healed now. Maybe she could start training and actually join the cheer team like Lydia wanted, as ridiculous as that sounded.

It was embarrassing how out of breath she was as she made it to the hallway that led to the gym and lockers rooms. A small crowd of students had gathered around the fight that had broken out. Water seeped out of the locker room and covered the tiled floor of the hallway like icing on a cake.

Mr. Harris was yelling at Scott and Jackson for fighting. He gave them both detention then said, “You know what, actually-,” Most of the students in the hallway scattered so that he couldn’t give them detention. Isaac grabbed Ray and pulled her around the corner before Harris could award them with detention as well.

“Was that Erica with them?” Ray asked.

“And Matt,” Isaac added. He bit his lip, deep in thought, probably wondering how his childhood best friend got himself wrapped up in that mess.

Ray couldn’t think of a reason why he would be there either other than, “Is he friends with Jackson?”

“Maybe. He is on the lacrosse team, so it isn’t impossible.” Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and shook her in a way that made it seem like she was just another one of the guys he was saying goodbye to. “Hey dude, you good?”

Dude. . That was. . A new one. Ray shrugged and said, “For sure.”

“Alright. See ya around.”

The way Isaac walked off so casually sent Ray into a spiral of confusion. Just last week Stiles was telling her Isaac thought she was hot and wanted to take her out on a date. Shaking her shoulder and calling her “dude” didn’t exactly scream flirting.

But then again, Ray spent the last two years pretending she hated Stiles to hide the crush her mother would never approve of, so who was she to judge.

In Chemistry, Harris had them sit in groups of four to work on a lab since the school was low on supplies. Naturally, the girl’s paired up with Scott and Stiles. Six months ago it would have been completely normal for Stiles to glare at Ray across the lab table with annoyance and rage, but considering how they’d been lately. . She couldn’t figure out why it looked like he was trying to make her implode wiTh his mind now. Something was wrong.

Good lord, what had Ray done this time? It seemed like she couldn’t breathe without managing to piss off a teenage boy. Ten minutes into the lab, Stiles still hadn’t spoken a word to Ray. When he asked Scott to pour a certain substance, Ray knew he was blatantly ignoring her. The vial was right in front of her. He could have easily asked her.

“What’s your deal?” Her question came off sounding annoyed and accusatory.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Stiles said matter of factly, “Scott, can you hold thi-“

Ray snatched the instrument from him and said, “I’ll hold it.” The two glared at each other in silence for a moment until Scott gingerly took the instrument from Ray’s hands.

“It’s okay, Ray. I’ve got it,” Scott said calmly. He glanced at Allison who shrugged in confusion.

Stiles sucked on his teeth bitterly before saying, “Saw you and Isaac by the locker rooms.”

“And? What about it?” Ray asked.

“Just thought you had something you needed to do. Something so important that you had to ditch me. I had to talk to Lydia alone while she was surrounded by her clique, which sucked by the way.”

“Isaac was the important thing I had to do,” Ray fired back before her brain could register how wrong that sounded. Scott let out a snort and Allison stifled a laugh in her hand.

“I see,” Stiles said. His nose flared as he pursed his lips.

“Not like that,” Ray said quickly. She scowled at her best friend who was still trying to hide his laughter.

“Oh, but it was more important than helping me with Lydia.”

“Yes,” Ray said firmly, she went on, “Actually, I found out some stuff about Jackson’s parents.”

“So did it,” Stiles said as he crossed his arms, “Erica told me.”

Ray couldn’t help herself, she looked across the room to find the girl in question. Erica was already watching them, probably listening in with a knowing smile across her red painted lips. The blonde winked at her then leaned over to whisper something in Isaac’s ear. The boy glanced up from his work. His wide, blue eyes looked at Ray with innocent confusion. Ray clenched her teeth together.

“What did she say about me?” Ray assumed.

“Nothing,” Stiles said smugly. “We didn’t talk about you at all, actually.”

“Well. . Isaac and I didn’t talk about you either.”

“Good.”

“Good!”

“Guys,” Scott said desperately, drawing their attention to the water nearly boiling over on their lab table.

“Sorry,” Ray mumbled, the water calming down as she took a breath. Suddenly her chest started to tighten. She watched the water begin to slowly bubble up again. “Mr. Harris? Can I use the restroom?”

The teacher’s small nod was enough for Ray to hop down from her lab stool and run out. She didn’t make it far down the hall before the classroom door was opening again, Harris’s unamused voice calling out, “What do you think you’re-“ before the door cut him off.

Ray wiped the tears from her cheeks before turning around, ready to yell at Stiles to go back to class. Instead, she was met with a warm embrace from her best friend.

“What’s going on, Ray?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know. A lot. Too much. Isaac was mad at me, so I went to figure out why and now Stiles is mad at me. Danny is trying to figure out why the hell you and Stiles kidnapped Jackson. He thinks I’m hiding something from him, which I am and I feel like shit for it. Plus my mom is pissed about the whole club thing.”

“Now that I can relate to,” Scott mumbled.

“How did your mom handle the whole restraining order thing?”

“Not well. She thinks I’m acting out because of my dad.”

“Yikes,” Ray whispered under her breath.

Scott nudged her lightly. “Hey, our moms will forgive and forget soon enough. And Stiles. . He was just being jealous.”

“Jealous? For talking to Isaac?”

“Yeah, and he’s probably confused with all the mixed signals.”

“Mixed signals?”

“Seriously, Ray? You kissed him on the cheek then ran off to talk to some other guy without explaining anything.”

Her cheeks heated up. “He told you that?”

Scott mustered up his most impressive Stiles impression to date, hand gestures included, “‘Scotty! Dude, you’re not going to believe what just happened, bro!’”

“Uncanny,” Ray said with laughter.

“I know, I’ve been working on it. But hey, don’t start getting us mixed up now. My girlfriend has a crossbow and she isn’t afraid to use it on me.”

“Don’t worry, Scotty. If I ever get confused about which is which, I’ll just start quoting Star Wars and see who gets confused.”

“Well, at least we know you have a foolproof way of telling the real Stiles apart from any clones. In case, you know, clones are a fucking thing.”

“Werewolves, kanimas, mermaids. . Why not clones?” Ray joked, but honestly, the thought of two Stiles terrified her when she could barely even handle one. “Hey, are my eyes red from crying?”

“No, they aren’t red at all,” Scott told her. He gasped when she started rubbing them. “The hell are you doing?”

“Trying to make it look like I was crying so that Harris doesn’t add me to your detention!”

“You know what,” Scott said slowly, “I don’t care if you get mad at me. I stand by what I said about girls being totally psychotic.”

Ray shrugged. “That’s fair.”

“Just. . Maybe be slightly less all over the board with your signals? If not for Stiles’s sake then at least mine because I am so tired of giving him advice that he doesn’t take.”

“You give him advice? About me?”

Poor Scott looked like he just remembered he forgot to disengage a bomb that he left in the oven. In other words, instant regret and the urge to flee the situation washed over his face. “I-well-Don’t tell him I told you that.”

She walked back into class with her cheeks and eyes red from all the irritation. Mr. Harris didn’t dare to say a thing to her or even Scott. Though, Stiles seemed very uncomfortable when she sat across from him. Instead of bringing up the topic again, Ray decided she wanted to talk about something fun.

“Hey, that movie Limitless looks good. It comes out over break. We should all go see it,” Ray said casually.

Allison grimaced. “Pass.”

“I’ll go!” Stiles said, sitting up straighter on his lab stool. “I would go, I mean, to the movie.”

“Yeah, it looks good,” Scott responded. Allison kicked him under the table, causing him to wince. “What was that f-“ another kick. “Ow! Oh-“ His eyes went wide, suddenly getting it. “I mean. . The trailer didn’t look that cool. I guess I’ll just wait until it comes out on DVD.”

“Oh, you don’t wanna go?” Ray twirled her pencil in her hands as she said, “That’s too bad. Guess it’s just gonna be me and Stilinski.”

Now they just had to survive the kanima long enough to make it to the movie’s release and maybe Ray would finally get that date she has been wanting since the end of winter break.

Stiles leaned back in his lab stool using the desk for support until his hand slipped. Scott was quick to steady him and get the stool back on all its legs. Stiles cleared his throat and immediately started to focus on the lab work again, mumbling, “Cool. Very cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Melissa calling Ray “Stingray”? Goodbye y’all. That shit is cuter than anything I have written for future Stiles/Ray scenes. I actually didn’t even come up with that nickname! The spirit and energy of Mama McCall possessed me and wrote that line. She gets full credit.
> 
> Also I saw this super beautiful fan art of Mama McCall on tumblr and let me just drop it here because WOW! THE TALENT!
> 
> https://comic-hans92.tumblr.com/post/624829951125962752/melissa-mccall-everyone-im-loving-drawing-in


	20. IOU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a long one (10k!) so grab a snack! As always, thanks for reading!!

“Seriously, Raymona!” Danny called out in annoyance from the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m coming!”

She was not. Ray was still sitting at her desk, trying to cover up the smudge she made across her eyelid with liner. Her bed was a mess of blankets, books, and colored pencils. A floral printed white sheet had spilled halfway onto the floor, covering up the shoes she would probably be looking for soon.

“You know I have to take Jayden to school.” Danny had trudged up the stairs and ended up leaning against her doorframe. “God, it looks like a tornado went through here. Still cleaner than your room though, Jay,” he said to the youngest of the family who had joined in on seeing if his sister was ready. Danny ruffled up the kid’s side-swept hair, a style that was apparently very popular at his middle school.

Jayden swatted his stepbrother’s hand away and glared at him. “Hey. My room is totally cleaner than this.”

“That’s just because you shove everything under your bed,” Ray said in her own defense.

“True,” Danny commented. “Are you almost ready? I can’t be late for morning practice. Coach'll kill me.” It took a bit longer to get to school on the days Danny had to drop off Jayden since the middle school was so far from the high school.

“I’m-,” Ray looked around her room, realizing how much she still had to do, “-uh. .”

Jayden got an excited look on his face, “What if I just don’t go to school?”

“And risk getting my car keys taken away so you can reenact Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Don’t think so,” Danny told him.

“I’m ready,” Ray insisted as she started shoveling colored pencils into her book bag.

That was a lie yet again. Fake it till you make it, Ray kept telling herself. From all the rushing, she had forgotten her math homework at home. Luckily Danny needed to be at school early enough for lacrosse practice, so Ray had plenty of time to do the assignment for a second time. That was an easy fix, but the French textbook she left on her bed was a little harder to get by without. It was already hard enough to understand that class with the help of a textbook in front of her. Ray debated skipping the class altogether without it. Her friends would fill her in on any new assignments.

After first period, she spent an embarrassing amount of time searching in her bag for her favorite lipgloss before opening her locker and finding it placed neatly in the compartment that was meant for pencils.

Still, it wasn’t the worst day she had experienced at Beacon Hills High. There wasn’t a dead guy on the school bus or a group of werewolves plotting to kill her friend. As Ray was putting on her lipgloss, the little mirror on her locker door displayed a blurry image of Stiles Stilinski running her way.

His cheeks were red from all the running he had just done. He attempted to casually lean on the locker next to her own while she attempted to ignore him. That was hard to do when he was insisting on being so close. Her mind was playing an evil trick on her and replaying what it felt like when she was on his couch after the kanima attack at the school. Those few moments she got to lay her head on his chest had made it feel like the crazy shitshow their town had become didn’t matter. All that mattered that night was how she could get closer without scaring him off.

That’s all she wanted now, to be held again. She wondered if he ever thought of that night. Maybe Stiles had done that with other girls before and it was no big deal to him. Ray had never been that close with a boy before. She and Scott definitely never cuddled on the couch. Sometimes he would put his foot in her face if she wouldn’t change the channel, but Scott had never offered to hold her.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Stiles said with a mischievous wink. Her hands instantly went numb.

“Oh no,” Ray mumbled, trying to play her nerves off like annoyance, “You’re being nice again?” Last time he called her that, he ended up asking her to get information from their enemy, . . and then from Lydia, and _then_ they got in a huge argument. Just the other day they argued in Chem. Ray didn’t want to argue and have to avoid each other again. She just wanted him to stand closer, if that was even humanly possible. .

“What? Can’t I just tell a pretty girl good morning?”

“Okay, now I know something’s up. What is it this time? You need me to infiltrate Derek’s pack? Find out what they know?”

“Believe it or not, Derek’s pack is working with us on this one. Jackson is going to a rave tonight, and we’re going to try and capture him and who’s controlling him in the building. And now that you’re allowed to do things again, I thought that maybe we-,” he gestured between the two of them, bringing attention to how little space there was between them, “-could-ya know, go together. To the rave.”

“Let me get this straight,” Ray said as she closed her locker which was really just an excuse to lean against it and face him. “I’m finally done being grounded for getting caught clubbing, and now you want me to go to a rave on my first night of freedom?”

Stiles scrunched up his nose, clearly annoyed with how disagreeable she was being. “Well, when you put it that way-“

“No, Stilinski. I’m not putting it any _way_. I’m saying, if I got caught at a rave, a rave, my mother would ship me to military school and disown me.” It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go to a rave with Stiles. They almost got to dance together at the Jungle, and Ray would love another opportunity for that.

“Now, come on, Ray, don’t be dramatic.” Stiles grabbed her books right out of her hands and help them out of her reach when she tried to get them back.

“Stiles!” Ray followed him to their next class. She had to since he insisted on carrying her books. In an attempt to keep their plans private, she whispered, “Do you even know who Jackson is after?”

“Not exactly. It’s like I said on the phone last night. All we have is a list of names of people who are 24 and used to students in Harris’s class. Since raves don’t typically have a guest list, we don’t know who is going to be there or why Jackson is even going at all. Scotty and his boss are coming up with a plan to trap Jackson there which is why we-,” Stiles pointed between the two of them again, “-have to go.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to go at all. It’s not like we will even be able to get tickets for this thing. Gabby says they are going for hundreds online.”

“I have my ways,” Stiles replied mysteriously.

“Huh, would you look at that-,” Ray said, pulling out the new phone that her mom bought for her at the mall the day before, “My bullshit meter just went off.”

“Hope you got a warranty because that thing is totally broken.” Stiles smirked and stopped to pull a ticket out of his back pocket. “And I’m working on getting a second one.”

“How?” She said in amazement.

“Say you’ll go with me, and maybe I’ll tell you.” He put the ticket back in his pocket for safekeeping.

Ray scowled at him. “First of all, this isn’t a date-“

“Never said it was.”

“Good! Because-,” Ray struggled to find her words for a moment. She didn’t expect him to agree it wasn’t a date. Now all she could think was, why the hell isn’t it a date? But she logically knew why it couldn’t be one, “-we are only going to save Jackson. Not to have fun.”

“Exactly,” Stiles said with a shrug, though his smile was a little too smug. “Come on, Ray. You owe me one!”

Ray tilted her head, trying to think of what he could possibly be talking about. Then the memory hit her. She told him that when she ditched him the other day. He had to ask Lydia about Jackson’s parents alone, resulting in him having to talk to Erica. . resulting in his detention with Harris. .

Not to mention the fact that she kissed his cheek. She had done that once before, but that was at his house where no one saw, and this time he was referring back to it and. . Ray felt like her mouth was glued shut with nerves.

“Ray. .” Stiles nudged her shoulder to pull her out of her own head.

“Alright, alright. If I can manage to get a ticket, I’ll go with you. But, seriously, my mom can’t find out.”

“Because she’ll kill you if she found out you went to a rave, I know.”

“That and well- the No Stiles rule is still in effect,” Ray admitted.

“Still? What does she have against me.”

“Do you want the full list or the most recent red flag you’ve given her?” Ray said, only half-joking. Stiles had a history of doing things her mother didn’t agree with. “You and Scotty stole a prison transport van. That’s not something parents just-forgive and forget!”

Stiles held the classroom door open for her as he said, “So what I’m hearing is, I’m the bad boy type and your mother doesn’t approve.”

It was almost ridiculous how often Stiles pick and chose her words and only digested the ones he wanted to hear. Ray snorted and took her books back from him. “Stilinski, you are the farthest thing from a bad boy.”

“What? Come on. I’m bad!”

Her eyes scanned over his checkered print flannel and chunky sneakers. “Truly a master of all things dark and mysterious.”

His hands went to his hips, taking offense from her tone. He squinted down at her as she sat in her desk. She smiled wide at him, returning that tinkle of mischief in her eyes he often gave her.

In a fleeting moment of confidence, she was able to say, “What, Stilinski? You gonna prove me wrong?” And god, she felt lame for how badly she wished he would.

“Stilinski,” Coach called from the front of the room, “Take a seat.”

When Stiles started going through his backpack he quickly realized he spent his entire break talking to Ray at her locker instead of grabbing the books from his own. He looked over to ask Ray to share when his eyes caught her sketchbook. She was shading a startlingly familiar-looking jeep, only this jeep was overgrown. Moss completely covered with and vines grew out of the windows.

“Whoa,” Stiles blurted out.

Ray looked up from her sketch to see what Stiles was so enthralled with. Her cheeks went red when she realized what he was looking at. She quickly shut her notebook and said, “Focus on the lesson, Stilinski.”

“Can we share your textbook? I forgot mine,” he sheepishly admitted because of course Stiles would carry someone else’s books to class and disregard his own.

Stiles scraping the legs of his desk across the tiled floor caused Coach to stop mid-lecture and glare at the two students. He sounded disappointed, “Nerine. You forgot your book again?”

“Not me this time, Coach!” Ray insisted.

“Alright well, if you two don’t keep quiet, I’m making you share with Greenberg, Stilinski.”

“Got it, Coach!” Stiles said with a thumbs up.

On Ray’s way to fourth period, she was bombarded in the halls by Erica Reyes. Instead of just calling to her like a normal person, Erica stepped in front of her to block the way. Ray stumbled back, not wanting to be so close to the girl she nearly just ran into. The corner of Erica’s lip curled up into a knowing smirk.

“You seem to be doing better,” Ray said, not sounding at all happy about it. “Scott said you had a seizure.”

Erica chuckled under her breath. She took a step closer to Ray who in response stepped away, her back hitting the lockers behind her. This was a horrible mistake on Ray’s part. She had cornered herself, giving Erica the upper hand.

“Did Scott also tell you that Stiles held me in his arms?” Erica’s hand reached out to lean herself against the locker, slightly caging the other girl in. Ray’s eyes betrayed her by instantly flickering to the blonde girl’s lips. Erica smirked, causing Ray’s heart to race. The blonde went on, whispering, “It was kind of romantic.”

It was obvious Erica was trying to make Ray jealous, but all that was going through Ray’s mind were mantras to calm down and how her heart pounded like war drums in her chest. There was an odd tingling feeling at Ray’s fingertips. She figured it was just adrenaline.

“He didn’t include irrelevant details,” Ray said through clenched teeth in an attempt to pass her nerves off as anger.

“Well now that your little buddy and I are closer, I owed him a favor. I’m here to deliver it.”

Ray honestly had no clue what was going on. Erica reached into the top of her own shirt and pulled a paper out of her bra. A ticket to the rave. Erica slipped it into Ray’s back pocket then abruptly brought her hand up to Ray’s neck, whispering in her ear, “Don’t forget to save me a dance as a thank you.” Erica leaned back to watch Ray’s cheeks redden. She went on, “I’m sure your precious Scotty told you all about the plan, but just warning you. If things go south, don’t get in my way against Jackson. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”

“You think you stand a chance against him? That’s cute,” Ray said with a dark laugh. The tingling in her fingertips was enough to make her curious at this point, but with the blonde all over her, Ray wasn’t able to check.

“I couldn’t beat the kanima, but the kanima all drugged up? It’ll be easy. And you know what?” Erica played with a lock of Ray’s hair. “Now that I think about it, maybe you should try to stop me.” Ray grabbed Erica’s wrist to pull her hand away. Erica jumped back and rubbed at her wrist. “You bitch!”

As far as she knew, Ray didn’t do anything bad. “What are you talking about?”

“You shocked me!”

Why the hell was Erica complaining about a little shock? Ray rolled her eyes. “Then maybe don’t touch me.”

“Ray!” Lydia Martin yelled out, causing the two girls arguing to stand up straighter and step away from one another.

“Lyds, h-hey.” Raymona and Lydia had not spoken much since she had tricked her into that fake study group at Scott’s place. It wasn’t that they were actively avoiding one another. . Ray just. . Had other things on her mind.

Okay, and she was ignoring Lydia a little bit. It was getting hard to keep all the supernatural shit out of their friendship. Ray was already doing a lot of sneaking around at home now that Danny had seen some things on that video he fixed for Jackson. Having to lie to her own friends at school wasn’t fun for Ray, so she ended up just. . Avoiding her more and more each day.

But now it was impossible to ignore her friend. Erica slipped off into the crowd of the halls, successfully escaping before Lydia could say anything to her. Ray wasn’t exactly enjoying her conversation with the blonde, but she had hoped Erica would stay long enough to take some of the heat Lydia was about to throw her way. Now Ray was cornered into explaining herself.

“What the hell was that?” Lydia said, referring to the way Erica had her up against the lockers.

“That was, uh- nothing. We just don’t get along.”

“That much was obvious.” Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed. “Look. I need to talk to you. Allison is being weird. Jackson is being weird. You are being weird. Hell, even Danny is being weird. I need answers because-I’m starting to feel like I’m crazy. And you said I could talk to you, so. . I’m talking.”

Ray looked around the hall. Some people were still lingering, waiting until the last second before going to class. This wasn’t the right place to say anything, but Ray hated having to lie to her friend. In a moment of bravery, _or stupidity_ depending on how you thought of it, Ray took Lydia’s hand and guided her into the nearest bathroom.

“Seriously, Ray?” Lydia sounded annoyed as Ray checked each stall for a person.

Once she came up empty, Ray took a deep breath and turned to face her friend. “You aren’t going to like what I’m about to say, and you definitely won’t believe me.” The bell rang, making the girls officially late to their French class. Not that Ray even wanted to go to that class to begin with.

“I will as long as you quit it with the cover-ups and the lying.”

Here it was. The moment of truth. Lydia was about to find out what her friends had been hiding all semester: why Allison and Scott had to keep their relationship secret, the real reason Jackson broke up with her, what really happened that night at the dance. . Ray figured it would be best to start with that. What Peter did was still haunting Lydia. Maybe unveiling the mystery of it all would help with Lydia’s. .visions of the man.

“The man who bit you at the school dance. .”

“Peter Hale,” Lydia said, the name sounding eerie coming off her lips.

“Yes, Peter. He wasn’t just some lunatic who bites people. He knew what he was doing, and you aren’t the only person he has bitten. Scott was bitten at the end of winter break.”

Uncomfortable couldn’t begin to describe the emotions Lydia was giving off. Her brows scrunched together in confusion. “So what? You guys are part of a kinky swingers sex group or-“

“No, Lyds, god, no. Why is that the first thing you- You know what? I don’t want to know why you would think that.”

“What am I supposed to think! All I know about that study group is Allison’s parents can’t find out she was at Scott’s house. You guys have given me nothing! There was giant crashes coming from downstairs. I'm pretty sure I heard Erica freaking growl. I felt crazy! I still feel crazy for thinking you guys were totally lying about the break-in.”

“You aren’t crazy,” Ray told her. “Look, there are people in this town, some good ones, some bad ones, but they aren’t-they aren’t-,” Ray closed her eyes and swore under her breath. “Lydia, if I show you something, are you going to freak out?”

“That sounds super predatory and disgusting,” Lydia deadpanned.

“Not like that, oh my god. Look, just-“ Ray took a deep breath and focused on herself in the mirror. Her eyes started to glow a bright sea-green. Lydia’s jaw went slack and no words came out. Ray blinked a few times, here eyes going back to normal.

“I’m something called a sea nymph. You probably have no idea what that is, but a more common phrase people use is mermaid.”

Lydia nodded. She studied her friend’s face then asked, “So. . Do mermaids go around biting people?”

“No. Peter wasn’t like me. Peter was a werewolf. He bit Scott and turned him. For some reason. . You were immune. And now Jackson-“

“Is a werewolf?” Lydia whispered.

“He’s something worse, way more dangerous, and he doesn’t even know it. Danny doesn’t know about me, but he is slowly figuring everything out about Jackson. And Allison and Scott can’t be together because her family hunts werewolves.” It was all spilling out of Raymona’s mouth, feeling like a jumbled mess. She worried she wasn’t making any sense, but if anyone was able to follow along, it would be Lydia Martin.

Lydia leaned against the dirty bathroom wall. A girl tried to walk in, but immediately turned around when she saw the deadly look on Ray’s face.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Ray said. “And if you hate me, that’s fine. I know we kept this from you for way longer than we should have. Or maybe I shouldn’t have even said anything at all, I don’t know. I just-I have to lie to Danny all the time and I didn’t want to lie to you. You deserve to know. . Do you hate me? You should hate me.”

“Ray,” Lydia said abruptly, “Stop rambling and let me think.”

“Right, no yeah, of course. Think about it and I’ll just-“

Without a word, Lydia left the bathroom.

“-stay in here and panic alone,” Ray finished. She got out her phone. She felt bad ignoring the messages from Allison, asking why she and Lydia weren’t in class. Her shaking fingers wrote out a series of quick texts.

_S.O.S._

_Meet me in the parking lot_

_No Scott_

It was almost impressive how quickly Stiles left his fourth period class to meet her at his jeep. He stopped on the passenger side to unlock the door for her. To his surprise, the girl pulled him into a hug as soon as he held the door open for her.

“Whoa, hey,” he said softly and wrapped an arm around her. “Did something happen with your family?”

“Don’t be mad at me,” Ray sounded muffled since her head was tucked into his neck.

The boy’s eyes went wide. Rarely did Ray do things so bad she had to confess and ask for forgiveness. It was usually Stiles asking her not to be mad. In those situations, Ray usually ended up being mad anyway.

“I could never,” Stiles told her.

“I told Lydia.”

“Okay, wait-,” Stiles held the girl at arms length. “You what now?”

“I told Lydia about me. . And Peter, and Scott and sort of even about Jackson, and the hunters”

“W-you just told her all that at school? How did she react?”

“She. . left.”

Stiles looked around the schoolyard then said, “Wanna get out of here?”

That led to the two driving through Stiles’s cruise route. Ray had asked him to put on that Elton John album he always plays when he is sad. He pretended to not know what she was talking about, saying he doesn’t only play it when he’s sad. She would have teased him and proven him wrong, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Scotty’s gonna hate me,” she mumbled.

“There is not a thing you could do to make Scott hate you,” Stiles told her.

“Allison will though,” Ray argued, “I told Lydia about her family. It wasn’t my place to tell anyone. And if Ali hates me, soon Scotty will too.”

The boy’s fingers gripped tight around the steering wheel. His expression was tight, like he knew if he said anything, it would come out wrong and angry.

“You can tell me I’m stupid. I know it was stupid.”

Stiles sighed heavily. “You aren’t stupid for wanting your friend to know the truth about yourself. Look, you are a sea nymph. That’s part of you. Whether or not you tell people, that’s you’re choice. But telling her at school? And telling her about Scott and the hunters? That’s stupid.”

California poppies were growing along this stretch of the road. Ray always loved how bright their orange looked amount the vast greenery of the forest surrounding Beacon Hills. She wished she could run into the woods, find a field of flowers and just- forget everything. Telling Lydia wasn’t the only thing that had been pressing on Ray’s mind. She still felt like more secrets had to come out before she was truly at peace, and she didn’t just mean telling her stepbrother. Tears started to blur her vision. They stung from all the extra makeup she had put in that morning.

She looked to Stiles, sounding broken, “Are you mad at me?”

“Oh god-,” he mumbled under his breath, seeming very uncomfortable after glancing at her. “Jesus-You know I’m not. Why would I be? You didn’t tell Lydia any of my deep dark secrets like. .like that I only wore Starwars printed underwear through middle school or that I can’t sleep without my pillow.”

Ray let out a laugh through her tears. “Stilinski, I’m being serious.”

“So am I!” He voice got an octave higher. “If anyone ever found out that I only wore the same four pairs of underwear all through middle school, I would die!”

“You only had four pairs? God that’s-“

“My deepest, darkest secret and if you ever tell anyone, then maybe I would be mad at you.”

Ray sniffled. “Maybe?”

“Well-It’s kinda hard to be mad when you’re crying and your nose gets all red and you get all pouty and-,” he glanced over at her, watching her try and wipe the makeup off from her under eyes, “-Yeah. I don’t think my anger would last long enough for you to even notice.”

“I can literally feel other people’s emotions, Stiles,” Ray reminded him.

“Am I angry now?” He asked.

Ray closed her eyes and focused. All that was on her mind was that night they sat on his couch and watched a movie. She could practically feel the goosebumps from that night returning. A deep longing to have him hold her hand or even just play with her hair distracted her from focusing. Ray couldn’t help but open her eyes to peek at him. His eyes looked at her with such openness, she felt like she could tell him anything. Like for instance, how tempting his lips looked.

Instead, all she could say was, “Eyes on the road, Stilinski!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled.

With her eyes closed again, she went back to trying to figure out if he was angry. Again, her own feeling of longing wouldn’t dissipate no matter how hard she tried. She even started to wonder if he was just feeling the same way she was. Telling him all she felt was a sense of longing would be completely embarrassing if she was wrong, so she went with a lie.

“You just seem. . Nervous. But honestly, Stiles, you’re like always anxious. Even during class.”

“You read my emotions during class?”

Ray instantly diverted her focus to the pretty flowers outside again, trying to hide the heat rushing to her cheeks. She mumbled, “Never said that.”

“Well-whatever. At least now you know I’m not mad at you.”

Her eyes followed his hand to the gear shift. As he moved it back up to the wheel, all she could think was: hold me instead. To want to be closer to someone who was literally right next to you was such a pathetic feeling. He glanced at her again, his tongue wetting his lips briefly.

They were on their way back towards town now, the end of the boy’s cruise route. If they wanted, they could even make it back in time for their last class, but both teens knew they were just going to wait in the parking lot until Scott got out of school.

Once their best friend burst through the front school doors, the casual conversation about which Star Wars characters would win in a fight against Iron Man came to a halt. Ray crawled to the back seat, giving Scott his usual seat upfront.

As soon as Scott sat in the passenger seat, he turned around and said, “Allison’s totally pissed, you know that? Why the hell did you tell Lydia everything without even warning us first?”

Before Ray could open her mouth to apologize, Stiles interjected, “She already knows she fucked up. What’s done is done. Let’s focus on the plan for tonight and then deal with Lydia finding out her ex is a homicidal lizard creature after we’ve captured said lizard creature, alright?”

“Yeah,” Scott agreed reluctantly.

“No, not alright,” Ray said, “I shouldn’t have told Lydia your business, Scott. I’m sorry.”

“She would have found out eventually. I just- did it have to be today? _God_ , as if the plan wasn’t already stressful enough. And apparently Allison is going on some date with Matt-“

“Creepy, stalker Matt?” Stiles asked.

“Yeah, dude! And I told her to go because her mom is totally on to us and we have to make it look like we are seeing other people and- _oh my god_ \- what if she ends up liking him?” 

“She won’t,” Ray insisted. “Matt looks like he styles his hair with baby oil.”

Stiles snorted. “Why is that oddly accurate.”

At the animal clinic, Scott’s boss pulled two heavy looking trash bags into the examination room where the three teens were waiting around the table. After he placed those on the countertop behind them, he walked over to his shelves of mysterious jars of substances and pulled one down that was filled with dark grey ash.

“This is what is in those bags, and it’s what you’ll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you,” Deaton explained, sounding very serious.

Stiles licked his lips nervously. “Uh, that sounds like a lot of pressure. Can we maybe find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?”

“I’ll do it,” Ray offered with a shrug.

“Sadly, Ray, you cant. It's from the Mountain ash tree, which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with ashwood, making it difficult for someone like you or Scott to cause me any trouble. I’m afraid you wouldn’t even be able to pick up one of the bags.”

Stiles winced and asked, “Okay, so then what? I just spread this around the whole building and then either Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross it?”

“They'll be trapped.”

“We’ll all be trapped,” Scott said, realizing the power that small glass jar held. He looked at Ray and asked, “Are you going to be okay with that?”

It was sweet of him to check in on her, but she had no intention to back out of this plan. If her friends were going to be putting their lives at risk, she was going to be right alongside them. She shrugged and said, “Doesn't sound too bad.”

“So,” Stiles scratched the back of his neck nervously. “That’s all I do? Spread it around the building?”

Deaton explained further, “Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles.”

“If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that.” The boy’s words caused both his friends to look at each other in concern. If Stiles being set on fire was a crucial part of the plan, then the plan was off. Both Scott and Ray would not let that happen.

Thankfully, the adult in the room was able to calm the teenagers down from their exaggerations. “Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish.”

“Force of will. . .”

“Hey, if this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it.”

Stiles took in an unsteady, breath. Scott patted him on the back reassuringly.

The vet took down a medicine bottle from the shelf then grabbed a menacing syringe from one of the drawers. Scott and Ray were both entranced with the intimidating needle while Stiles had busied himself with touching all of the other small glass jars along the shelves.

“Ketamine,” Deaton informed the three.

“Oh perfect,” Ray said, sounding suspiciously giddy. Truthfully, she was only excited that she knew what something was before Deaton had to explain. “I bet tons of people will be using that. If we get caught, it’ll be an easy cover.”

“Not a great time for sarcasm,” Stiles told her as he put a jar he had been studying back on a shelf.

“It’s one of the most commonly used drugs at raves,” Ray deadpanned.

“How do you know that?” Scott asked.

“ _Why_ do you know that?” Stiles emphasized.

“A medic told me after Danny was attacked at the club,” Ray quickly explained, not wanting to look like a bad kid in front of Scott’s boss. “He thought that’s what Danny took. When people take too much, they’re temporarily paralyzed.”

“Exactly,” Deaton said. “It’s commonly known to be used on horses, but we used small doses on the dogs here at the clinic. Small doses are safe, but large ones can, like Raymona said, temporarily paralyze. If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down long enough to buy you some time.”

“Hopefully,” Stiles agreed under his breath. Most of the jars he had been looking at contained powder. A different looking one caught his eye. It contained a small, muddy grey stone that had large chunks of an off-putting, mustard color scattered throughout it. He plucked the jar off the shelf, wondering what it was and why Deaton kept it.

"What's 'Ambergris'?" Stiles asked as his curious fingers pried the lid off the top of the jar before Deaton could belt out,

"Don't!"

Ray’s head snapped around. Her eyes narrowed on the open jar that was emitting a strong. . . wonderful. . . enticing scent that reminded her of a fried peanut buttery treat one would find at the fair. She moved a few steps closer to Stiles without even realizing it. He took the stone out of the jar to examine the yellow stripes closer. Deaton noticed Ray's eyes flickered a glowing sea-green and stepped between her and the stone.

"What? Does it do something dangerous?"

"Just put it away quickly, Stiles," Deaton told the curious boy. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Scott went to grab the stone from Stiles to put it away, but his boss yelled out, “Don’t touch it!” before Scott got too close.

Stiles reluctantly put the mysterious stone back in its jar and shut the lid tightly. "Well, now you have to tell me,” the boy whined. Ray's intense gaze followed Stiles's hand as he placed the jar back on the shelf.

Deaton stepped back to the bag of mountain ash on the other side of the table in hopes of getting back on topic, but Ray was no longer interested in the plan for the night. She took Stiles's hand and brought it up to her lips to kiss lightly. The smell of the stone still lingered on his fingertips. Stiles turned bright red and looked to Deaton with terrified eyes.

"What the hell is she doing?" Stiles asked. Scott couldn’t help but laugh at his neighbor’s disturbing behavior at his friend’s expense.

"Sailors use Ambergris to attract mermaids," Deaton explained while trying to keep a casual tone. "Sometimes to kill them, but usually. . . a different reason."

Ray held the curious boy's hand close to her heart. "Maybe we shouldn't go to the club tonight, you know? Let's just hang out at your place."

The veterinarian couldn't hold it in any longer. The girl was completely out of it. He cracked a smile and tried to stifle a laugh. Stiles was babbling and fumbling across excuses for why they had to go to the club. Ray was pouting and pulling the poor boy closer.

"It needs to be Stiles handling the mountain ash," Deaton reminded her after composing himself.

"S-see?" The boy stuttered as the girl started to kiss his individual fingertips. "It's gotta be me. We can't skip it."

"But we could hang out right now. We still have a couple hours before nightfall!" Ray jumped excitedly and dragged Stiles out of the room. He barely had enough time to reach out for the essential bags of mountain ash. Scott stayed behind for his shift at the clinic.

Stiles stuffed the mountain ash in the back of his jeep while Ray stayed practically glued to his hip. She carried on with a vibrant look in her eyes. "My parents are home, maybe we can go to yours? Is your dad home? Oh! We could drive to the lookout point. That sounds fun, doesn't it, Stiles?"

The boy led his friend into his jeep and shut the passenger door to secure her in. "I think I need to get you home," he said as he slid into his own seat.

Ray bit her lip. "And what are you going to do to me once we get there?"

Her tone made Stiles's hands shake. He put the key in the ignition, feeling very heated and awkward. "Uh. Probably lock you in your room and run away if I'm being honest."

The water bottle in the cup holder started shaking from the water inside was boiling. Stiles worriedly look to his friend who was rubbing her temples and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Seriously if you don't run inside and wash your hands immediately, I'm going to maul you before we make it to my house."

To say Raymona was embarrassed was a giant understatement. The hours leading up to the rave were spent under hiding under her covers, too nervous to even text Scott that she didn’t want to go anymore. Her phone was ringing and vibrating like crazy on her nightstand. A single hand popped out from under the blankets and felt around for the device. She dragged it under the covers into the darkness with her to answer.

“Ray can not come to the phone right now. Please leave a message at the-“

“I know it’s you,” Stiles said. “Your answer tone is way more awkward than that.”

“Hey! You know what, Stilinski, sometimes your opinions should be kept to yourself. No matter how truthful they are. .”

“‘H-hey. It’s, uh- Ray. You know that. That’s why you called. Uh-yeah, okay. So like-I can’t make it to the phone right now, obviously-,’” Stiles mocked her answer tone, reciting it perfectly.

“First of all, how the hell do you know all that? Secondly, did you call just to mock me?”

“You ignore my calls a lot, and no, I didn’t call just to mock you. Though, that is a bonus.”

“You are the worst thing to grace this earth since the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.”

“Working on your insults? Nice. Well, I was just calling to be a nice person and warn you that I’m leaving in ten, so meet me down the street like planned.”

“Ten?” Ray said as she threw the blanket off of her. Her hair stuck up everywhere from the static. How long had she been under there sulking? Since when had it gotten dark outside?!

Stiles could hear a loud thud over the phone from Ray trying to untangle her ankles from the bedsheets and ending up on the floor “Should I. . make it fifteen?”

“No!” Ray said breathlessly as she finally stood up. “I’ll be ready. I mean- I was totally getting ready this whole time-,” she caught sight of how crazy her hair looked in the mirror and whispered, “Oh my god.” She quickly put the phone on speaker so she could use bother her hands to start braiding.

“How’s this, I’ll pick up Scotty from work first and then we’ll come get you.”

“That sounds great, Stiles!”

“And don’t worry! I showered.”

Ray looked at her phone in confusion. “Do you. . not usually?”

“Of course I do! I just mean-because that amber-whatever stuff Deaton had. .”

She was thankful he couldn’t see her blush. “Okay, let’s never talk about that again. Ever. Also, shit- what the hell do people wear to raves? I wonder what Danny’s wearing. . Shit! Danny is going. Why did I just realize that?! What if the kanima is going after him again?”

“Scott is going to find Jackson as soon as he gets there. Isaac and Erica will be there too, so Danny will be protected. And I don’t think it matters what you wear. We’re gonna be outside surrounding the place with ash anyway.”

Ray was searching through every item hanging in her closet. “Yeah but, if the plan goes accordingly then maybe we might have a little time to dance.”

The phone was silent for a moment. Ray glanced over at her desk, thinking Stiles had hung up or something. Eventually, he said, “You want us to dance?”

“Oh god, no. I meant _we_ as in separately. Us-dancing. . Not together. Or we could together if you wanted I guess I don’t know- I have to save a dance for Erica.”

“F-for Erica?”

“I-uh-gotta go finish getting ready, Stiles! See you down the street in ten!” Ray hung up her phone then tossed it onto her messy bed, out of sight so that she could concentrate on what the hell she was going to wear to a rave.

Stiles was eerily quiet the whole car ride there. To make things worse, there was still a slight tension between Ray and Scott like he hadn’t fully forgiven her yet. Allison hadn’t answered any of Ray’s texts, so she was definitely still mad.

“You okay?” Scott asked Stiles once the jeep was parked.

Stiles barreled out of the jeep saying, “Yeah, why?”

“You just didn't say anything the whole way here.” Despite being mad, Scott still held the passenger door open for Ray as she crawled out of the back.

“No, I'm fine,” Stiles insisted as he opened the back window, “Just grab the other bag.”

“We can't. Remember? Deaton said you have to do it alone.”

“Okay, this plan is really starting to suck.”

Scott seemed to notice something Ray and Stiles weren’t able to pick up on. He ran off, mumbling, “No, not here!”

“What? Scott! What am I supposed to- ugh!” Stiles threw down the bag of mountain ash. “Plan officially sucks.”

Ray wished she could help, but every time she reached for one of the bags of mountain ash, it was like a force was pushing her away from it. Stiles wasn’t complaining anymore. He didn’t even come across as angry, just. . sad.

“Stiles? Are you mad at me?” He didn’t seem like he had been at the animal clinic, but ever since he picked her and Scott up for the rave it felt like any sudden movement would set him off.

The boy forcefully closed the back of the jeep. “No.”

“Is it because I yelled at you after the clinic to wash your hands? I’m sorry. I was just- that stuff was really weird and-“

“I’m not mad at you. I’m just mad at life in general because everything sucks!”

Ray reached out to touch his arm. She stepped closer then asked, “What happened?”

Stiles took a big breath to brace himself for what came next. “My dad lost his job because of me. Because of what Scott and I did with Jackson.”

“Did he yell at you?”

“No, he’s just. . disappointed.”

Ray’s hand slid down his arm to grab his hand. She gave it a squeeze then let him go.

“Once he knows about all this, he’ll understand.”

That must have been the wrong thing to say. Stiles rubbed his hand nervously over his hair. Tears were forming in his eyes. The sight made Ray feel like there was a lump in her throat.

“He can’t know,” the boy choked out.

The girl wrapped her arms around his middle. She tried rubbing his back to soothe him, but his sadness only seemed to deepen. It was strong enough that Ray could sense it even though she wasn’t trying to.

“Then he doesn’t have to know,” she whispered. “We’ll help Jackson, and solve all those murders then. . We will figure it out.”

Stiles pulled away from her. “Sorry, _god_ sorry that was so- I just cried like a baby- oh my god.”

 _A cute baby. My baby_. Ray wanted to say. She settled on something much safer, “Hell yeah you did. The baddest baby I know. So how about we get a start on this supernatural circle of mountain ash, _baby_.”

Stiles shook his head in disapproval at the new nickname. He asked, “You gonna help me carry all this crap?”

“No, I think you’re strong enough to do it on your own. I do wanna carry the bat though.” She picked it up from the ground and swung it around. “Let’s see a kanima try and get us!”

“Let’s hope you don’t have to use that thing, slugger.”

Stiles picked up the bags of mountain ash. The two started their walk around the building. The boy was trying to focus on the plan, but the girl leading the way was trying to balance the bat on her head. It kept crashing to the floor for her to chase after.

This wouldn’t have been an issue of Stiles hadn’t been following her footsteps. He was trying to use the least about of ash as possible, but that was hard if his line kept zigzagging. He thinks they made it halfway when the first bag ran out, but he isn’t for sure. He shoved the empty bag into his jeans pocket.

“Hand it over,” he called out to her.

“Huh?” As she spun around to look at him, the bat fell from her head. She scrambled to grab it.

“The bat. You’ve lost your privileges.”

“My- what? Stiles! It’s my only source of entertainment! You haven’t been talking this whole time!”

“I’m trying to focus, and you’re distracting me!”

“Then get un-distracted.”

“I will once you give me the bat.”

“Fine.” Ray stomped over to him like a toddler and held out the bat.

“Thank you.”

Stiles cut open the second bag of ash and started where he left off. His line this time was much straighter, but at what cost? Now Ray was extremely bored. She walked next to him, the line of ash in between the two.

“Remember when we went ice skating?”

“That was only a month ago,” Stiles deadpanned. His eyes remained focused on the ash.

“Great, so you do remember.” Ray shoved her hands in her hoodie pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking. She messed up what she was trying to say last time, but this time she would definitely get it right.

“Did it hurt when you fell?” Ray asked.

Stiles looked up and caught her eyes. Hopefully, he would assume her cheeks were red from the cold and not from her nervousness.

“Which time? I’ve fallen a lot lately. Not gonna lie, I have more bruises now than I did when we were learning how to skateboard in fifth grade.”

Ray didn’t like hearing that Stiles was all bruised up, but that wasn’t why she was frowning. This is not how the line was supposed to go.

“No, du-,” she caught herself from calling him a dude. That would definitely ruin the moment. How can she fix this and still have it still flow correctly?

Two gunshots rang out, echoing off the metal of the buildings. Stiles stopped pouring the bag of ash to look around. Three other gunshots rang out. Ray and Stiles instantly stood back to back to cover each other and find the source. The girl took the bat back since the boy was fumbling with the bag of mountain ash, trying to not let It’s continents spill out.

“It doesn’t sound like it’s inside the club,” Ray guessed. That was a good sign because her best friend and brother were both in there. More shots rang out, multiple at a time as if a whole firing squad was going off.

“Derek and Boyd are patrolling,” Stiles said. “You think it’s the hunters?”

“But what would they be doing here?”

“After Jackson probably.”

“Well, let’s make their job easier and get this done with. Then we can drive off into the sunset until we find some place without assault rifles.” Ray said as the two spun around to face each other. The bat and bag of ash were keeping them farther apart than Ray would have liked.

“I hear Canada is nice.”

“Surely they have guns. . Right? What if a moose is attacking them?”

“A moose?” Stiles questioned.

“Have you seen videos of those things? They are bigger than cars! It’s terrifying.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no,” the boy mumbled. The bag out mountain ash had run out, and now all he had left was held in the palm of his hand. “No, no, no! Shit! I’m such an idiot, oh god. I fucked it up! I fucked up the entire plan!”

“No, you didn’t!” The girl didn’t sound at all convincing, but she was trying to be supportive.

“Ray, are you crazy?! I need at least, like, 50 feet of ash, and I'm out. Okay? We’re dead! The plans dead! There’s gunfire and werewolves and all I have is a handful of magic fairy dust. And it isn’t enough.”

Ray looked at where they had just come from in hopes of seeing something that would help. Instead, all she came across was a bumper sticker saying “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” At first, she rolled her eyes, but then a thought occurred to her. She tapped Stiles on the shoulders and pointed at the car.

“Deaton said you have to imagine it working, remember? Force of will.” She backed away from him so that he could focus.

He started psyching himself up, “Yeah, okay. Force of will. .”

“Yeah, use the force,” Ray joked, waving the bat around like a lightsaber, sound effects included.

Stiles looked at her. His lips were trying their hardest to look angry and not smile at her joke. “Don’t distract me.”

“Sorry, sorry. Go back to imagining it.”

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then started walking. The ash trickled out of his hand in a constant flow. Ray watched in awe as he walked, only coming to a stop when the ash ran out. He opened his eyes and looked down, seeing the perfectly straight line that connected the ash, completing the circle.

“Yes!” Stiles raised both his arms up.

“You did it!”

Ray sprinted the fifty feet then skidded to a halt in front of him, dropping the bat at her feet with a clatter. Stiles had this big goofy grin on his face that Ray had the urge to kiss. She reached for his jacket to grab and pull closer to her, but a force pushed her hand back. A yellow ripple illuminated the spot her hand had been, almost imitating the waves from a pebble dropped in water.

“Oh, my god. It's working. Oh, _this is_ -I did something!”

Ray was proud of him, but she couldn’t help but frown. Finally, she had gotten the courage to make a move, and a literal supernatural force was keeping them apart.

A text on both their phones made the teens break eye contact. Erica was letting them know they had Jackson sedated in a shed. Ray decided to shelf her confidence. Now didn’t seem like the time for a celebratory kiss.

In the shed, Stiles began to interrogate Jackson, or what seemed to be the person controlling Jackson talking through him. Isaac stood near the door looking pale. Seeing Jackson robotically answer Stiles’s question while catatonic was unsettling, but Ray knew the blonde boy was uncomfortable for a different reason. He was currently locked in a shed with his father’s murderer.

“Do you need to wait outside?” Ray whispered.

“No, no. I’m fine,” Isaac insisted.

Erica moved to hold his hand. Ray turned her attention back to Stiles, who had been inching too close to Jackson during the interrogation for her liking. Jackson’s hands had started to speckle with dark, murky grey scales.

“See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers,” Stiles said.

Jackson continued on in the deep, demonic sounding tone, “Anything can break if enough pressure's applied.”

Ray reached out to tug on Stiles’s jacket, wanting him to come back on her side of the room. Stiles brushed her hand away, too curious in the conversation to back off. He pressed for more, “Alright, so the people you're killing are all murderers then?”

“All,” Jackson spoke slowly, “Each. Every. One.” The lacrosse player was looking more and more like the kanima every second with the scales growing up his hands. The ketamine seemed to have slowed him down, but it didn’t stop the transformation.

“Well, who did they murder?”

“Me.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“They murdered me.” Jackson’s eyes shifted to a starking mustard color with reptilian slits. He was now more kanima than he was himself as he repeated the words, “They murdered me.”

“Stiles,” Ray said softly, “That’s not Jackson anymore.”

“Okay, alright,” Stiles said as he stepped back. “More ketamine. The man needs ketamine.” He held his hand out to Isaac for the bottle. “Come on.”

“We don't have anymore,” Isaac admitted.

“You used the whole bottle?”

“I don’t think more would help,” Ray said as the kanima started to stand.

“Um-okay, out, everybody out!” Stiles told them. The kanima screeched as the four teens shut and leaned against the door in efforts to keep it in. “Okay, find something to move in front of the do-,” Stiles didn’t even get to finish saying the plan before the kanima burst through the sheet metal walls of the shed. It tried running past the mountain ash barrier but was knocked back. The loud screeching made it hard to be thankful that Stiles’s barrier worked. The kanima quickly turned and ran into the main building.

“Danny,” Ray whispered before running after the creature. Once inside, the thick musk from the fog machine mixed with the stench of sweaty dancing bodies caused Ray to slow to a halt. She almost had the urge to turn back to the fresh air outside.

Stiles came to a stop next to her, yelling over the music, “We should probably stick together!” as Erica and Isaac ran past them, cutting through the crowd and heading toward the DJ.

There were hundreds of people dancing under the flashing strobe lights. It was going to be hard to find Danny, but Ray was determined. She took Stiles by the hand and brought him along the outskirts of the dance floor. As she looked over her shoulder to ask Stiles if he saw anyone they knew, she caught him just staring at their interlocked fingers in awe.

“Stiles! Have you seen anyone we know?” He was taller than Ray and would be able to see over the crowd easier if he would just focus.

Someone they knew did catch his eye. He winced, knowing Ray wasn’t going to like what he was about to say, “I found Allison.”

“What is she doing here?”

Sure enough, Allison was standing alone far from the crowd. She had her phone up to her ear then pinched the bridge of her nose. The annoyed look on her face didn’t ease up as Ray and Stiles ran up to her.

“Hello, Stiles,” she said shortly. “Ray.”

“The kanima is loose in here,” Ray blurted out, deciding it was best to just get straight to the point.

“Shit,” Allison mumbled. She looked down at her phone again. “Shit! And Scott has been MIA for like twenty minutes. He left to go find Derek because my dad is here.”

“Here?” Stiles said wildly, “Like here as in-“

“Here as in trying to trap the kanima, yeah!” Allison clarified. “I have to go find-“

“Wait, Ali!” Ray said desperately. She was surprised when the girl actually stopped to hear what she had to say, “Have you seen Danny?”

“No, I’m sorry, I haven’t.”

Not long after Allison ran off, Isaac practically barreled into Ray and Stiles, saying, “We can’t find it.”

“Then we have to get everyone out of here,” Ray said.

Erica scoffed, “How are we going to convince a bunch of ravers to ditch the party and leave? Everyone here is high as a kite.”

Stiles looked wildly around the room before putting both his hands on Ray’s shoulder. He told her, “Meet me out back by the jeep.”

“Where are you-Stiles!” Ray called as the boy ran off.

Erica had to practically drag Ray’s ass out the back door. The blonde let go of her just as the fire alarm went off. Isaac’s eyes went wide as Stiles raced past him and out the back door with a huge grin on his reddened cheeks.

“Whoo! Yes! Okay. That’ll get everyone out!” The boy said cheerfully.

“What the hell are you idiots doing?!” Derek Hale had just walked up. His shirt was bloodied in multiple spots. Guess that’s where the gunshots from earlier had landed.

Stiles stepped over the barrier of ash to talk to the alpha, the only one of the teens to be able to do so. “Hey, um, so we kind of lost Jackson inside, but it's cool because now we’re getting everyone out.”

“That’s. . Not bad,” Derek said, placing a firm hand of approval on the teen’s shoulder. His soft expression quickly hardened again as a desperate roar rang out. The betas and even Ray looked around to find the source of the sound.

“Scotty?” Ray wondered aloud how she somehow knew that.

“Wait, what?” Stiles asked.

“Break it,” Derek insisted, pointed at the line of mountain ash.

“What? No way.”

“Scott's dying!”

“Okay, what? How do you know that?”

“Oh my god, Stiles, I just know! Break it!”

“Ah, okay! Okay!” Stiles waved his hand over the mountain ash, causing a wind that scattered it.

Derek told his betas to find Boyd then ran off into the club. The people had been spilling out of the back door looked at him like he was crazy as he ran into the club. Ray gasped as a boy stumbled out of the back door, glaring over his shoulder at Derek.

“Danny!” She yelled as she ran toward him.

Her brother stumbled slightly as the girl ran into him. “Whoa, Ray. What’s up?”

“You’re not dead!”

“Is the fire that bad?” He looked back up at the building. “I didn’t even smell smoke. . . Also what the hell are you doing here? I didn’t know you got a ticket.” Danny looked over to see Stiles who awkwardly waved at him while kicking a rock with his shoe. “You on a date?”

“No,” Ray said at the same time Stiles said, “Yes! Yes, that’s why we’re here!” The two exchanged pleading looks with one another until Ray sighed and gave in, figuring lying to Danny was better than letting him know his best friend was inside that building with the intent on killing. She had already spilled enough information that day.

“Okay, yes, Stiles and I were . . on a date.”

Danny ruffled her hair, “I’ll leave you to it then. Hey, if Dad asks, I’m spending the night at Jackson’s.” He went off to reunite with a cute boy that had been waiting for him to finish his talk with Ray.

As soon as her brother was out of earshot, Ray said, “Oh so what? Now we’re lying about dating when we’re not?”

“Thought I’d switch it up from the usual lies about not dating when we are,” Stiles said as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder, leading her toward the jeep.

“If this is your idea of a date, then I think we have two very different perceptions of dating.”

The sound of police sirens made the teens stop and turn their heads. Stiles asked, “Does your perception of dating include getting the hell out of here before the police show up?”

“Yes.” They sprinted for the jeep slams scrambled in. Stiles was pulling out of his parking spot when Ray yelled, “Wait! Scotty! Derek said he was dying!”

Just then, Derek Hale came sprinting at the jeep with Scott in his arms. Ray swung open the passenger side door then hopped into the back. Derek put Scott practically on top of Ray then got in, yelling, “Go, go, go!”

Ray tapped Scott’s face lightly, earning no response. “Oh my god, oh my god! Scotty?!”

“He’s fine,” Derek said through clenched teeth. He sounded like his lungs were battling against him. “Take us to Deaton. He’ll know what to do.”

“What the hell happened?” Stiles cried out as the jeep swerved.

“Wolfsbane. She was poisoning him.”

“Who?” Ray wondered who the hell would do this to her best friend. She leaned down to listen for his breath. It was rattling and dull. There, but only barely.

“Allison’s mother,” Derek all but growled.

Scott McCall looked so innocent in his neighbor’s arms. He had come up with a whole plan to save Jackson instead of killing him. The hunters were only supposed to kill werewolves who were dangerous. Since when has Scott McCall ever been dangerous? Mrs. Argents poisoned him for one reason, and one reason only: loving her daughter.

At that moment Ray decided from there on out if a single hair was harmed on her best friend’s body, she was going to kill every Argent in this sad little town.

Thunder clouds rolled in overhead, blocking the moon’s light. Stiles and Derek jumped as a bolt of lightning hit the road behind them. Both turned around and gasped at the girl who’s eyes were glowing a bright sea-green.

“W-what the hell is happening?” Stiles said, gripping the steering wheel tighter as heavy rain began to pour. He had seen Ray start a storm before, but that was when she was frightened and her emotions were out of her control. Now she was sitting in the backseat, seemingly calm.

A knowing half-smile formed on the Alpha werewolf’s face. “My uncle said to never anger a Siren.”

“So what? Ray’s mad about what happened to Scott?”

“No. She’s furious.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will learn more about the differences between Sirens and Mermaids/Sea nymphs at the beginning of season three. Know that Derek’s knowledge of them comes from his uncle, who, we as readers know, is not a very reliable source.
> 
> Side note: I’ve never rewatched seasons 4and 5 fully (only an episode here and there) and I have never rewatched a single episode of season 6 ever, BUT! Tumblr has made me fall in love with this whole Theo and Liam ship thing! I remember none of the plot, NONE! But here I am actually considering rewatching just for these boys (obviously I will have to eventually for this series).  
> Anyway.  
> Do y’all have any ships that you started liking because of the fandom and not because of the show?


	21. Can of Worms

It was starting to seem like the goal for Raymona’s spring break was to be home as little as possible. She spent the entire first weekend at Gabby’s house from the moment Ray woke up Saturday until Monday at noon after they made a mess of Gabby’s kitchen making pancakes. Most of their time was spent doing very important things like sitting in Gabby’s new hot tub and talking about what she and Greenberg did since their tickets for the rave were stolen. It was a fresh change of pace to talk to someone whose biggest issues were planning dates with her boyfriend and trying to decide what to buy her cousin for her quinceanera next month. Gabby was struggling because her cousin's parents buy her anything and everything already.

"You know what would be really cute?"

Gabby smiled at her from across the hot tub. "Oh, I know this has got to be good. Lay it on me."

"A collage of her and her friends from that night, wait, oh my god, polaroids would be so beautiful."

"Once again, you are a genius! I need you to go dress shopping with me in two weeks."

"She's not picking out your dress?"

"Oh, no. Thankfully I'm not dancing in it. She is having her friends from school in it."

"Well, the obvious answer is you always look stunning in red."

Gabby gasped and dramatically put a hand over her heart, "Oh my god, thank you, but sadly red won't work this time. Her theme is fairytales and pastel, and she's wearing pink."

"We'll figure it out when we're shopping. That's not a hard theme to work with."

"I'm just glad she isn't doing the emo theme my older cousin did. Though I did get to wear red to that and I did look stunning. Oh my god, remember that purple dress you were to that? With the spider webs?"

Ray splashed Gabby playfully. "Don't ever talk about that."

"I think I have some pictures in a photobook somewhere. .-," Gabby said mischievously followed by a scream and more splashing.

Ray spent Monday night at home for a change, but still, there wasn’t a dull moment. She and her brothers were outside playing basketball until it got dark and they could play their version of cops and robbers in the backyard. Scott joined them for most of the day, though he did disappear occasionally to call Allison who had apparently been spending most of her spring break at Lydia Martin’s house. Ray would be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly jealous. A few times she had tried to text both girls. Allison never responded which was fine. Obviously, she had a right to be mad. Ray spilled her big family secret without permission. It would probably be a while before Allison forgave her.

Lydia, however, was graciously kind over text, even going so far as to thank Ray for telling her all those things. She made it a point that Ray was still invited to her birthday party that Wednesday night.

 _Everyone’s going to be there_ , Lydia had sent, _Make sure to bring your Stiles_.

Oh, Ray would definitely be dragging Stiles to that party. Not only was he a reliable ride, but he also wasn’t at all angry with her about telling Lydia everything. Scott was trying his best to act like nothing was wrong between the two, but the fact that he had to sneak away to his house to call Allison spoke volumes. Allison was obviously still mad at Ray, and he was feeling guilty for hanging out with Ray. Their friendship had been through a lot over the years, so she was confident they would get through this too.

On the Tuesday of break, she and her brothers went over to Scott’s house to play Smash Bros in the afternoon. Scotty invited Stiles over to play along with them, so everyone had to take turns with the four remotes. Ray didn’t mind sitting back and watching rounds because she always was the first to die anyway.

“I’m going to grab some water,” Ray stated, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the boys all yelled at the screen. She tapped her younger brother’s shoulder. “You want anything, Jay?”

“Can you get me a soda?” He responded without looking away from his character. Scott’s character punched his hard enough to knock him over the ledge, almost killing him. “Oh! Shit! No, no..-!” His character crawled back onto the ledge. “Thank god.”

“Can you bring me one too?” Scott asked over his shoulder.

“Sure.”

“Can I get a water?” Danny asked.

“One water, two sodas. Got it. Stiles, you?”

Stiles looked away from the screen, pouting because the guys had ganged up on him and killed him off early since he had been on a winning streak. “Uh, nah. I’m good, thanks.”

In the kitchen, Ray pulled two glasses from the cupboard then turned around and gasped. Stiles was sitting on the island counter with a lazy smile on his face. She put down the glasses then playfully shoved his knee out of her way so that she could get past.

“You scared the shit out of me.”

“You know, for someone who’s recently learned there is a murdering South American mythological lizard creature lurking around town, you are not very aware of your surroundings.”

“Don’t throw my own words back at me,” she said as she dug two sodas out from the fridge. “Are you sure you didn’t want one?”

“Just came to help you carry everything,” he said as he took the two soda cans from her. “And also. . To ask you something. .”

She wasn’t sure if she was just anxious or if Stiles was actually standing a little too close to consider it friendly. After thinking it over for a second, she realized it wasn’t her that felt anxious, but rather the boy in front of her’s emotions rubbing off on her. Last time he was this nervous was that night at his house after the pool. . Just the thought of that night made her own heart start working ten times faster.

Her hand subconsciously clasped around her necklace as she said, “Well, ask away.”

“Right-,” The soda cans clanked against the counter so that he could free up his hands. “Um, okay, yes. What I wanted to ask was-ah, um-,” He awkwardly leaned against the fridge and his cheeks went slightly pink. “I was just wondering what you were doing tonight.”

He looked really cute all worked up. Ray couldn’t help herself. . . She just had to tease him and act a little clueless. “You mean like other than sleeping?”

“Yeah- I mean, like. . If you were free to hang out. To hang out with me. Us- Hanging out. . Tonight.” He winced at his word vomit.

“Well, what did you have in mind?”

“I was kind of hoping we could get through a full movie. Limitless is out now if you still wanted to see it. And maybe we could. . pick up where we left off last movie night. .”

Ray decided to drop the clueless act and offered the boy a smile to ease some of his nerves. “I wouldn’t mind a repeat of last time.”

He let out the breath he had been holding as he said, “Cool. Okay, awesome. So. . wanna come over for a bit first after we’re done playing Smash?”

“What are we doing after Smash?” Scott asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Uh-“ Stiles rubbed his hand over his hair.

“We’re having a movie night,” Ray blurted. Stiles looked like he wanted to stick his head in the oven.

Scott walked between them to grab a bag of chips from the cabinet. He sounded excited as he said, “Movie night? Hell yeah. Are you guys down to watch a comedy? I’m feeling White Chicks. .”

Stiles winced slightly then said, “Well, you see, we were thinking-“

“Just us,” Ray finished for him.

Scott shrugged and shoved two chips in his mouth. “So no Danny and Jayden? I’m cool with that. But let’s play another round of Smash first.” The werewolf left the room before the other two teens could say anything.

Stiles leaned his head against the fridge and looked up at the ceiling in disbelief. It was starting to seem like they wouldn’t get the chance to be alone ever again. With the friendship of Scott and Ray on thin ice, she didn’t want to just un-invite the boy to their movie night. It might be a good opportunity for them to bond, all three of them like old times. It had been a while since they had actually gotten to hang out.

“Hey,” Ray said as she took Stiles’s hand in her own. “We will have a million other chances to hang out just us, but Scott is. .”

“He’s our friend too, we can’t just exclude him,” Stiles finished for her. “I know, I know.”

“Maybe at Lydia’s party-,” Ray said as she filled up the glass for her brother, “we can. . pick up where we left off at the club.”

A few hours before sundown on the night of the full moon, Ray received a surprising text from the birthday girl herself. Given the reaction Lydia had in the girls’ bathroom Friday, Ray figured their friendship was probably done for. Never in a million years had she expected Lydia to ask her to come over early to get ready for the party.

Jumping at the opportunity for girl time and a sense of normalcy, Ray had her brother Danny drop her off at Lydia’s two hours before the party. She was itching to get past the guilt and tension from telling Lydia everything. Now they could be even closer than before. Ray still had Gabby for girl time, but she couldn’t share everything with Gabby. And while Ray appreciated Scott, he wasn’t great to talk to about everything.

Like boys.

And by boys, Ray really just meant Stiles.

So when the Martin’s front door creaked open to reveal Allison Argent in a beautiful floral dress and heels that made her legs go on for days, Ray’s heart sank. This wasn’t going to be two hours of girl time and filling each other in. This was going to be two hours of hell. Her fingers nervously picked at the purple wrapping paper on the small box she was holding.

The deer caught in headlights look on Raymona’s face caused Allison to sigh in annoyance. To make things worse, Ray didn’t have the self control over her ability to not feel Allison’s intimidating emotions in that moment because of the full moon. She was angry and frustrated. Both things Ray had previously _assumed_ Allison felt about her, but that confirmation wasn't pleasant. Knowing that her friend didn’t want to see her felt soul-crushing.

And Ray deserved that.

“Lydia didn’t tell you I was going to be here.” Allison assumed by the surprised look on Ray’s face. She swung the door wider, “Well, you coming in?”

“Is that our Raymona I see?” Lydia called from the staircase. “Did you tell her what you told me yet, Ali?”

Allison pressed her line in a firm line, not offering the slighted dimple to show any sort of warmth. The hairs on Ray’s arms stood up in fear. If Allison had her way with her, Ray would probably have an arrow through her stomach by now.

“I think it’s good that Lydia finally knows,” Allison said without showing any bit of emotion.

“And,” Lydia pushed as she glides down the staircase, completely casual about the fact that she was practically pulling teeth from Allison to get her to admit things.

“And, I’m working on forgiving you.”

“Yes!” Lydia clapped her hands together. “So now that that’s over with, let’s have fun tonight! It’s my birthday, remember? I can’t have my two best friends fighting over something so ridiculous.” She took the small gift box from Ray and said, “Is this for me? That’s so sweet. Let’s go open it upstairs while we get ready!”

It was obvious by the way Allison’s tongue poked her cheek that she didn’t agree with how nonchalant Lydia insisted on being about it all. Ray stumbled up the stairs, being dragged to try on clothes with Lydia while Allison followed them slowly in her heels.

“Wait,” Ray dared to stop and look back at Allison. Even though the girl was a few steps lower, Ray still felt nervous to speak to her. “You are totally right to be mad at me.”

“Ray,” Lydia tried to stop her. Ray could feel Lydia's sudden fear. She was scared Ray was about to ruin the whole day by not playing along.

“No, Lydia. I’m sorry. I know it’s your birthday, but you can’t force her to like me after what I did.”

“Lydia isn’t forcing me to be here, Ray. You two are my only friends in this town, and you were sort of right. I hate how you did it, but I can’t deny that it’s better now that Lydia knows.”

“Can I just say,” Lydia cut in, “I would have figured it out soon anyway. I mean, Allison, an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures, seriously? You expected me to believe that after all the things I’ve seen in this town?”

All Allison could do was shrug and say, “Yeah, not my most believable performance.”

After Lydia played dress up with her two friends, the girls did some finishing touches on the decorations around the house. Allison and Lydia went out back to finish setting up a speaker while Ray tried to get the fountain of punch to turn on. It was still a few minutes before the party was meant to start, but there was a polite knock at the front door.

“Can you answer that, Ray?” Lydia yelled from the back of the house just before the speakers finally started working, filling the entire place with Lydia’s favorite playlist.

“Got it!” Ray called over her shoulder as she opened the front door.

Her neighbor was standing on the porch in an unapologetically green button-up shirt and way too much gel in his hair. Still, it was good to see him show up. It was a full moon, so he had planned on staying home if he didn’t feel up to party. Ray let out a sigh of relief then said, “Geez, McCall. You and Allison taking engagement photos tonight or something? You both got all dressed up tonight.”

“It’s a Lydia Martin party,” Scott said with a shrug. He stepped into the home then held up the gift bag he was holding and asked, “Is there a place for this?”

“Probably a table outside,” Ray said as he left to find it. She turned to Stiles who had been uncharacteristically hiding behind Scott that entire exchange, “You coming in, Stilinski?”

He nervously shoved his hands in his pockets, “You look-“

“Ray!” Allison called from the other room, “Can you grab more chip bags from the kitchen in your way out outside?”

“I’ll be right there!” Ray called back to her as she absentmindedly ushered Stiles into the house.

On her walk to the kitchen, Stiles was following right behind her until Lydia stepped in front of him and put two rolls of purple streamers in his empty hands. “Oh great! Someone tall enough to decorate the poles outside.”

“Oh-kay yeah sure I can’t do that, no yeah. Uh-,” he looked around Lydia to call to the girl disappearing into the kitchen, “-Meet you outside, Ray!”

It took longer than expected, but eventually, Ray was done setting up. Just in time for. . Absolutely no one to show up. Only Allison, Scott, and Stiles stood outside, hanging around a pile of crookedly hung streamers. Even Lydia seemed to have disappeared from her own party if one could call it that.

“Finally! Everyone is here!” Stiles said as he swung an arm over Ray’s shoulder, directing her to where the group was standing awkwardly.

“No one is here,” Ray argued.

“Everyone important is here, so we can finally talk about what my dad and I figured out. It has something to do with water. You know, the fact that all the victims were on the swim team, the way the kanima reacted around the pool.”

“So whoever's controlling the kanima really hates the swim team?” Scott asked.

“Hated the swim team. Specifically, the 2006 swim team. So it could be another teacher. Maybe like a student back then. I mean, who are we missing though? What haven't we thought of?”

“Are swim teams even taken seriously enough to have a rival school?” Ray asked. “How are we even sure it’s someone from Beacon Hills.”

“Uh, not to make things worse,” Allison said, “but. . Jackson's not here. And it’s the full moon.”

“Starting with the sentiment of you not _wanting_ to make things worse doesn’t absolve you from the fact that you are definitely _making things worse_ ,” Stiles said.

“Also, Jackson isn’t the only one missing tonight. Isn’t the whole school usually at a Lydia Martin party?” Ray asked.

Scott winced, knowing his next words were going to sound depressingly ignorant, “Maybe it's just early.”

Stiles took his hand from Ray’s shoulder to wave it around for emphasis, “Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whackjob.”

“Well, we have to do something, because we've completely ignored her for the past two weeks until Ray dropped that bomb on her.”

“She's completely ignored Stiles the past ten years,” Ray pointed out. “And I thought you forgave me for that.”

“Working _toward_ it,” Allison grumbled.

“You know, I prefer to think of it as me not having been on Lydia’s radar yet,” Stiles said to break the tension.

Tension that Scott instantly brought back by saying, “We don't owe her a party.”

The other three were floored by his response. If anyone were to feel bad about Lydia’s birthday being a bust, they all thought it would be Scott.

“What about the chance to get back to normal?” Allison asked. “She wouldn't be the town whackjob if it wasn't for us.”

Scott sighed and got out his phone, “I guess I could use my co-captain status to get the lacrosse team here.”

“Yeah, I also know some people who can get this thing going. Like, really going,” Stiles said as he started typing away on his phone.

“Who?” Allison asked before Ray could.

“I met them the other night. Let's just say they know how to party.”

Ray got out her phone and said, “Isaac is a little tangled up tonight, but I can text Danny and Gabby and have them spread it around. Between the two of them, they know just about everyone at school.”

“You talk with Isaac a lot now?” Stiles’s question sounded more like an accusation.

Ray shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t even feel the need to look up from her phone as she said, “We check-in.”

A feeling of jealously sliced through the air then dissipated so quickly, Ray couldn’t even tell who it had come from. Then there was a soft hand on her wrist, tugging her away from the boys. Allison said something about going in the house to find Lydia as she dragged Ray off, leaving the boys to wonder what the hell checking in meant.

Now with the party in full swing, Lydia finally seemed like she was enjoying herself. Jackson hadn’t shown up, and he also hadn’t killed anyone in over a week. They were close to figuring out who controlled the kanima. The answers were probably just around the corner which lifted a weight off the teens’ shoulders. It seemed like they were able to just celebrate Lydia’s birthday and enjoy themselves for the night.

Or, well, they could be enjoying themselves if Scott wasn’t being such a downer. Ray really wished she couldn’t read emotions because Scott’s were starting to rub off on her. He just kept staring longingly at Allison who was standing across the yard feeling just as lonely.

“Are you gonna apologize to Allison or what?” Stiles asked.

The werewolf looked to Ray for an explanation. She said, “Well, you two have been acting weird tonight. Something must be wrong.”

“Why should I apologize? I’m not the one being distant,” Scott pointed out.

“Because you're the guy,” Stiles explained, “It's, like, what we do.”

“That’s the stupidest, most sexist thing I’ve ever heard,” Ray said as she rolled her eyes. Across the yard, Allison was glancing over at them while the people around her all danced. Ray wished she could be dancing right now. She nudged Scott and said, “Just go ask her to dance.”

“Yes!” Stiles snapped and threw up a finger gun. “Apologize then ask her to dance.”

Scott frowned. “But I didn't do anything wrong.”

“Then you should definitely apologize. See, any time a guy thinks he hasn't done anything wrong, it means he's definitely done something wrong.”

“Horrible advice,” Ray mumbled to herself.

“I'm not apologizing,” Scott insisted, his emotions quickly shifting from sadness to irritation.

“Is that the full moon talking, buddy?” Stiles assumed.

“Probably. . Why do you care, anyway?”

“Because, Scott, something's gotta go right here. I mean, we're getting our asses royally kicked, if you haven't noticed. People are dying. I got my dad fired. You're gonna be held back in school. And if on top of all that, I can’t seem to get my own love life in check, so I’m forced to live vicariously through yours that you’re just letting slip through the cracks. If I gotta watch you lose Allison to a stalker like Matt, I'm gonna stab myself in the face.”

“Don't stab yourself in the face. Why do you have to live vicariously through me? Just get your own love life in check.”

“Oh!” Stiles threw up his hands, “As if I haven’t been _trying_ \- And you know it’s not that simple!”

Ray frowned and looked over to where Lydia was playing hostess. Her strawberry blonde hair looked beautiful against her purple dress, the second one she had changed into since Ray arrived. Stiles told Ray many times, on many separate occasions, that he no longer had feelings for Lydia, but who else could they have been talking about. Surely it couldn’t have been Ray since she was literally standing with them. Also, she thought their situation was in check, just moving a little slow because they couldn’t seem to get a moment alone. . There must have been another girl Stiles liked, and who if not Lydia? It would make sense if it was her Stiles couldn’t seem to get in check. She was way out of everyone’s league. Ray was surprised Lydia Martin was even friends with her.

“Ray,” Scott said while nudging the girl.

“What?” She said dreamily. “Sorry, I was-uh, anyway. Stiles, you know I’ll hold your drink for you if you want to go ask someone to dance.” She desperately hoped he would just put his cup down and drag her onto the dance floor that way they could finish whatever was started at the club all those weeks ago.

“Oh my god,” Stiles said as he threw his hands up and walked away.

“You’re an idiot,” Scott told her. “He _wants_ to dance with- Jackson.”

“Jackson?” Ray repeated. “I mean, okay. I support him and all, but-“

“No!” Scott grabbed Ray’s shoulders and turned her around. Sure enough, Jackson was coming out of the back doors. Lydia noticed him and walked up, playing her hostess role casually even though she had told Allison and Ray how much she secretly missed Jackson.

“Oh no.”

“Go find Stiles, and tell him,” Scott urged her.

It was amazing how far Stiles managed to get in that short timeframe. Ray found him in the crowded kitchen pouring himself a glass of water. She ran up to him and grabbed his arm. The cup of water went flying, spilling water all over his face, chest, and the marble counter.

“Stilinski!”

“Jesus-Ray-“

“Jackson is here!”

“God-,” Stiles wiped the water from his face with his hands then shook them dry “-Good for him! Maybe he can manage to have a half-decent time at this cursed party!” Some of the people in the kitchen gave the boy a judgemental gaze for his outburst. Most kids were too drunk and loud on their own to notice he had even spoken.

“Sorry, sorry,” Ray mumbled as she took the hand rag from the sink and started to blot down his shirt. Suddenly it felt like something was caught in her throat and her hands started to shake. “I ruin everything.”

His hands instantly covered her’s. “What? No, you don’t. It’s just water! Ray, don’t start cryi-oh god. Hey, hey.” He lifted her chin to have her look him in the eyes. “You don’t ruin anything. You make everything better.”

While that sentiment was sweet, Ray knew it couldn’t possibly be true. She had ruined something: her friendship with Allison. Even with the promise of Allison working on forgiving her, that didn’t mean she would forget. Ray broke her trust. They couldn’t just go back to where they were before, building a deeper friendship off of broken trust.

What would happen if Ray couldn’t befriend the person Scott was in love with. Would he eventually lose his trust in her too?

Stiles took a step closer to her to let someone else use the sink. “Sorry,” he said to the kid behind him. “Sorry,” he repeated to Ray for stepping even further into her personal space. Little did he know, she welcomed him into her space. The closer he was, the further everything else seemed to be. All she wanted was to go back to sitting with him on his couch like they had all those weeks ago. She was at peace then, the only true peace she had felt since all this shit started in January.

“Look at you two being all chummy,” Greenberg said as he passed by the two, bumping into the counter as he staggered through the tight space.

The comment seemed to wake both kids out of their thoughts. Stiles glared over his shoulder at his annoying teammate. Ray took a step back then slipped away from the kitchen. She hated how the eyes of her classmates felt on her like they were prying and digging for every detail of some intimate moment when in reality, Ray just wanted that peace she feared she might never get back.

After spending a while locked away in Lydia’s bedroom, Ray came back out to the party with a new perspective. Tonight was meant for fun. That’s what Lydia wanted for her birthday, for everyone to just have a good time. Maybe if Ray avoided Jackson, Allison, and all her other problems, she would be able to do so.

She quickly found Gabby who was somehow still not handling her liquor any better than the last party. This time, she didn’t have to take multiple shots to gain the courage to talk to Greenberg since they were already together. Still, Gabby managed to overdo it.

“Ray! Oh, my little Ray of sunshine!” Gabby sang as she twirled her around. The nickname made a heat rush to Ray’s cheeks, thinking of Stiles. “You look so pretty in that dress!”

“Thank you. I’m borrowing it from Lydia.”

“I don’t know how you did it,” Gabby gushed. “Danny was trying to get you two to get along for years, and now finally you made it into the It crowd. We both did this year!” Gabby turned and smiled, seeing Greenberg beckoning her from the couch. “Look at my boyfriend, isn’t he so handsome?”

Before Ray had to lie to her friend, Gabby squealed and ran back to Greenberg to sit in his lap. In that moment, Lydia glided up to Ray and silently placed a glass of punch in her hand. Ray couldn’t even get out a word, even just a thank you before the redhead was gone to the next group of people to hand out more drinks from her hostess tray.

The drink was well appreciated after witnessing Gabby suck her boyfriend’s face. Ray sipped her glass then looked at it in shock. It tasted like a mix of peach and strawberry. If Lydia Martin didn’t get into some elite, expensive college, she would do well as a mixologist.

Surprisingly, Ray didn’t recognize many people in the room as she pushed through toward the back door. Were half the people at this party even from their high school? Who the hell did Stiles call to get this thing going?

One would think being outside under the night sky would go hand in hand with a bit of fresh air, but all the dancing bodies created a thick layer of body odor flavored heat. Ray pushed through the crowd hoping that by the pool would smell better. Fewer people dared to stand close to the edge.

As she got to the edge of the pool, she heard something click behind her. The sound caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. She turned around to see the barrel of a gun pointed at her. It was the person holding it who frightened her far more.

“ _Abuelo_?”

“¿Cómo pudiste? ¿Cómo pudiste hacerle esto a tu familia?” His lip curled as he spoke as if he was disgusted by her.

All that was going through Ray’s head was the phrase her grandmother said her grandfather used to live by: Cazamos a los que nos cazan.

_We hunt those who hunt us._

But Ray never hurt anyone. Her voice was shattered, “Wh-what did I do?”

“¡Mírate! ¡Mira!”

Raymona did as her grandfather said and looked down at her hands. She gasped, dropping her punch in the pool. It landed so lightly against the water that not a single person at the party seemed to notice. Horror set in as she examined green scales starting to form, climbing up her arms. Everyone around her would see her like this. She looked up to her grandfather for help, only to see the person holding the gun had changed completely.

Allison Argent stood before her, crossbow raised. She sneered, “You can’t seriously think we’d let a monster like you just roam free.”

“Ali, wait-“

“It’s been a long time since my family has caught something as horrific as you.”

Allison pulled the trigger. Ray flinched and blocked her face. When nothing happened, she looked around the party to see no sign of her grandfather or Allison anywhere. The party around her was still in full swing, everyone laughing and dancing. She looked down at her hands, no scales. They were normal. Ray used them to wipe the tears streaming down her face.

She began to mumble a little mantra to herself, something Derek told her on the last full moon, “The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us. The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us. The moon-,” she sighed in frustration, “-there’s gotta be an easier way for saying that.”

The cup she dropped in the pool floated slowly over the reflection of the full moon. The only person at the party who seemed to realize anything had happened was her neighbor stumbling out the back door. One shared look let the other know that something was going terribly wrong. Thankfully Scott was on the move toward her because Ray felt like she couldn’t move.

“Did you see something too?” Scott assumed.

“I-,” Ray didn’t know what to say. It was like anywhere she looked, she expected to see someone aiming a weapon at her. “What just. . .”

Scott’s gaze circled around the crowd as he said, “We should probably find Stiles and figure out what the hell is going on.”

“We should find Lydia too,” Ray said, “Let her know something’s happening.”

“And Allison,” Scott said as he pulled out his phone. “Shit, shit! I have like a hundred messages from Derek.”

“Scott, we need to focus on what’s happening here,” Ray told him, sounding more like a parent than a friend. They used to always be on the same page, but lately, Scott was spreading himself thinner and thinner. They all were.

“I know!” He groaned. “I’ll text Allison and find Stiles. You find Lydia.”

Somehow, not a single, damn person at that party had seen the birthday girl for at least thirty minutes. Ray was beginning to wonder if she was one of the last people to see Lydia when she had been handed a cup of that punch. In fact, the punch was looking more and more suspicious the further Ray got into her search for Lydia Martin. It seemed like everyone who was holding a glass was drunk off their ass.

A giant senior boy stumbled back, nearing squashing Ray. She quickly dipped out of the way and ran into the one person at the party she should have avoided at all costs. Her stepbrother.

Danny steadied the girl and instantly asked, “Something weird is going on, right?”

“Did you drink the punch?”

“No, but he did,” Danny said, referring to his date who was crying on the couch.

“Shit,” Ray whispered under her breath.

“Ray, you know something about all this.” His accusation didn’t sound like it was coming from a place of anger. Danny just wanted to understand.

“Someone must have just. . Spiked the punch harder than necessary.”

It was a shit lie. Danny saw right through her and didn’t waste time getting to his point.

“Look, I don’t know much, but it’s a full moon and- Do you remember the story about the shark king?”

Ray’s heart sank to her stomach. She couldn’t have this conversation with Danny. Not here. Not now. Not after how horrible telling Lydia went.

“Danny,” she looked her brother in the eyes and tried to sound as calm as possible, “You should take your date home.”

His face fell immediately as if she had answered all he needed to know with that statement. Her warning was a confirmation. It was a full moon. Something was going wrong. It wasn’t a coincidence. The fear he was feeling was being overshadowed by the new tension of distance that had set between the siblings. Danny had to have known more. His best friend was the kanima. That isn’t something that would go unnoticed, especially not when Danny was the only person Jackson had left in his life after he broke up with Lydia.

Still, Ray, his own sister, was refusing to respond to the bread crumbs Danny was leaving for her, begging her to pick up and talk to him about. She ignored the topic entirely, telling him to go home as if he was a child and not her equal.

As Danny silently helped his date up from the couch to take him home, Ray couldn’t help but feel like that was another relationship crumbling right before her eyes. She lost Allison, probably soon Scott, and now she had to push away her own family.

Of course, every bone in her body was screaming at her to go after her brother and explain herself, but she couldn’t drop that on him. The less he knew, the better. Ray forced herself back out to the yard to find Scott and relay the bad news that she couldn’t find Lydia.

Stiles sped up to Scott just before Ray did, his back to her. “Hey, I can't find Ray. And, dude, anyone who drank that crap, they're freaking out.”

“I can see that,” Scott said at the same time Ray piped up from behind them, “You found me.”

Stiles yelped and jumped away from her. “H-holy god! You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me!” The front of his shirt was wet, actually, his whole head and shoulders were. Droplets of water sparkled on his eyelashes. Ray was taken aback for a moment.

“Why are you wet?”

“You can ask Danielle,” Stiles seethed, glaring across the yard that the girl.

Ray decided to shelf that and unpack it later. She turned to Scott, “I couldn’t find Lydia.”

“What the hell do we do?” Stiles asked, referencing the craziness happening around them.

“I don't know,” Scott said, “but we gotta-“

A boy yelling caused Scott to cut off. The three best friends couldn’t believe what they were hearing across the pool.

“I can't swim!” It was Matt screaming as three meatheads picked him up, dragging him closer to the edge of the pool. “No, no, no, no, stop, guys! I can't swim! I can't swim!” He was dropped in. Ray was overwhelmed with fear and the feeling of falling. Her friends seemed to be in the same state of shock, unable to move despite the boy pleading for his life thirty feet from them. “I can't- I can't-“

Of all people to step forward, Jackson rose to the occasion. He pulled Matt from the water and helped him find his balance along the sidewalk. It seemed like everyone in the party was frozen in fear at what they’d just witnessed.

“What?!” Matt screamed at everyone.. “What are you looking at?”

Police sirens blared somewhere in the distance. Ray and her friends had become so accustomed to the sound, they didn’t even register it until some random kid yelled out, “The cops are here. Party's over!”

Everyone around them was scrambling and panicking. The three friends couldn’t pull themselves together enough to move a single inch. They needed a moment to register what they just witnessed. That wasn’t just some random kid almost drowning then being saved, no, that had so much more meaning. The answer to their biggest question stood right before them, dripping wet and filled with rage.

Matt was the kanima’s master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Telling Lydia really just sparked like, a million insecurities for Ray, huh?  
> Allison’s character goes down a dark path at the end of season two (rightfully so, she lost her mother and her grandfather is literally insane). I find Allison’s character so interesting and surprisingly complex as far as Teen Wolf writing goes. The writers don’t give us a lot for anyone, but I really love Allison’s character arch.  
> Also, gosh I really missed writing Gabby and Ray's brothers. At the beginning of this series, Gabby was obviously a little jealous of Ray's new friends and the time she spent with them. I think now that Gabby has a boyfriend she notices Ray's absence a little less. I am super excited for the final three episodes! (Which is why this one is a day early, just couldn’t help myself!) Hope you guys are having a wonderful day! (:


	22. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// hostage situation.  
> These characters are held at gun point a majority of the chapter. You guys have seen the episode (season 2 episode 10), so you know what will happen in the end.
> 
> This is another 10k! Grab a snack!

Any good parent would see their kid’s bedroom light still on at 2am and immediately check in on them. That’s all Noah Stilinski thought he was doing when he walked into his son’s room. Sometimes Stiles got too caught up on researching something and needed to be reminded to sleep at night like the rest of humanity. This was one of those times, but the sheriff was surprised to find his son’s two best friends wide awake, still in their party clothes, and obsessively researching right along with him.

It wasn’t uncommon for Stiles to rope one of his two best friends into something like this, but when both were involved, one of them usually kept their head on straight and knew when to quit. That person was usually Scott, but Ray was never shy about telling his son when it was time to throw in the towel.

The three teens seemed adamant that one of their classmates had been the mastermind behind a group of serial murders. Serial murders the police were sure they had already found a suspect for, one who was an adult and probably far more capable of killing all those people since his car was seen at three of the crime scenes.

The sheriff looked at the pixelated picture in the yearbook. His son had circled it with red sharpie multiple times, making it very clear which student he thought it was. “So this kid's the real killer?”

“Yeah,” his son said.

Ray shook her head to keep herself awake. She was sitting on top of Stiles’s desk next to a pile of printer paper and old yearbooks.

“No,” the sheriff decided.

“Yes!” His son’s arms failed about. He was the only one in the room with enough energy to do so at this hour.

“No.”

“Dad, come on. Everybody knows that the police look for ways to connect victims in a murder, okay? So all he had to do is, like, look through their transcripts and figure out which class they all had in common.”

“Yeah, except for the fact that the rave promoter Kara wasn't in Harris's class.”

“Alright, okay, you're right, sorry. Then I guess they dropped the charges against him?”

“No, you know what? They're not dropping the charges. But that doesn't prove anything.”

“How-“

“Matt and Isaac used to be friends,” Ray spoke up. “He had been to Isaac’s house, probably knew his dad and his brother.”

Stiles’s hand landed on Ray’s knee and shook it. If she wasn’t awake before, she was now. It wasn’t the shaking that made her heart stop, it was the way the boy’s eyes flickered to her lips like he wanted to kiss her right then and there. She prayed to the gods above her that he didn’t because she did not want their first kiss to happen in front of his dad and their best friend whom they both viewed as a brother.

Thankfully, the boy was too excited to focus on her long and said, “Yes, see? And I bet there’s even more connections we can make at the station.”

“Scott, do you believe this?”

“Oh, come on,” Stiles groaned under his breath. Ray put her hand on top of his on her knee. His annoyance seemed to calm down enough for Scott to help convince the sheriff.

“It’s really hard to explain how we know this, but you just gotta trust us. We know it's Matt.”

“Yeah, he took Harris's car, okay?” Stiles’s dad looked like he was about to say how far of a jump that was, but Stiles quickly explained his reasoning, “Look, he knew that if a cop found tire tracks at one of the murders, and that if enough of the victims were in Harris's class, that they'd arrest him.”

The sheriff looked at all three kids then sighed. He was starting to give in, “Alright, fine- I'll allow the remote possibility, but give me a motive. I mean, why would this kid want most of the 2006 swim team and its coach dead?”

“Isn't it obvious? Our swim team sucks! They haven't won in, like, six years.” No one was impressed with Stiles’s answer. He groaned in frustration. “Okay, we don't have a motive yet. I mean, come on, does Harris?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“We need to look at the evidence,” Scott said. He was going with a much calmer approach than Stiles who couldn’t seem to sit still.

“Yeah, that would be in the station, where I no longer work.”

“Trust me, they'll let you in,” Stiles said.

“Trust you?” His dad asked.

“Trust-,” Stiles looked over his shoulder at his much calmer friend, “-trust Scott?”

“Scott I trust.”

That’s how they ended up in the sheriff’s old office searching through camera footage of the hospital. Stiles suggested they look through that first since he had to kill Jessica himself. It was a brilliant plan to start with that, but the hospital footage was chaotic to say the least. It was hard to recognize anyone at all.

“I don't know, guys. I mean, look at this-,” Noah pointed at his computer screen, “There was a six-car pileup that night, the hospital was jammed.”

“Alright, just keep going. Look, he had to have passed one of the cameras on that floor to get to Jessica, okay? He's gotta be on the footage somewhere,” Stiles insisted.

Scott spoke up which caused Ray to wake up from her sleepy daze in the comfy brown couch in the corner of the sheriff's office. “Oh, hold on, stop! Did you see that? Scroll back.” He sounded so enthusiastic, Ray felt like she had to pull herself up from the cushions and take a look at the screen, squeezing between him and Stiles.

“That's him! That's Matt!” Stiles’s said.

His dad scoffed. “All I see is the back of someone's head.”

“Matt's head, yeah. I sit behind him in history. He's got a very distinct cranium, it's weird.”

“Are you crazy?”

“We’ve gone to school with him since kindergarten, Sheriff. That’s him,” Ray confirmed.

“Even so, that’s not enough to prove it’s him in court.”

“Alright, fine,” Stiles grumbled. “Then look at his jacket, huh? How many people do you know who wear black leather jackets?”

“Millions, literally,” his dad deadpanned.

Ray bit her lip and tried not to laugh. She was thinking about how owning a leather jacket seemed like a requirement to be in Derek Hale’s pack. Being up so late was starting to get to her head. Everything was funny.

“Okay, can we scroll forward? There's gotta be a shot of him coming at one of the cameras,” Scott said, trying to move on.

Noah played a different camera angle and started speeding through it. It seemed like nothing was going to happen until Matt’s leather jacket popped back onto the screen.

“Right there! Stop, stop! See, there he is again,” Stiles said.

“You mean there's the back of his head again.”

“Okay, but look. He's talking to someone.”

Ray’s hand squeezed Scott’s arm, recognizing exactly who the woman was on screen. Scott did too and said, “He's talking to my mom.”

Scott called his mom and sent her a picture of Matt. It was lucky she was working through the night and was able to answer her phone on her break. Melissa confirmed that she did remember seeing Matt that night. Apparently he had been tracking mud in the hall. It was likely his feet got muddy when he had the kanima attack the trailer.

“We've got shoe prints alongside the tire tracks at the trailer site,” the sheriff said as he stood from his desk.

His son added, “And if they match, that puts Matt at the scene of three murders. The trailer, the hospital, and the rave.”

“Actually, four. A credit card receipt for an oil change was signed by Matt at the garage where the mechanic was killed.”

“When?”

“A couple hours before you got there.”

“Dad, if one's an incident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern, what's four?”

“Four's enough for a warrant.” The three teens shared a look of relief. They had done it. They managed to convince Stiles’s dad Matt was the killer without even having to expose him to the supernatural shitshow they dealt with on a daily basis. The sheriff went on, “Scott, call your mom back, see how quick she can get here. If I can get an official ID, I can get a search warrant. Stiles, go to the front desk. Tell them to let Scott's mom in when she gets here.”

“On it,” Stiles said. He went to leave then turned back and looked at Ray over his shoulder as if asking, _Aren’t you coming?_

The sheriff had distracted himself with something on the computer. Scott was busy on the phone with his mom. Neither of them batted an eyelash when Ray tiptoed around them to follow after Stiles.

“That went smoother than expected,” Ray commented as soon as they got into the hall.

“Yeah, well, we needed a win,” Stiles said.

Ray stopped him in the hall just before they got out to the front desk. “It was really smart to suggest we look at Jessica’s murder first.”

“Um- well-,” Stiles scratched the back of his head, “It just uh-anyone would have thought to do that.”

“But no one else came up with it. You did.”

His cheeks went pink. Ray smiled and couldn’t help herself. She planted a quick kiss over the cute mole on his cheek. This time, she wasn’t able to run away. She had to sit with what she’d just done. Her heart hammered in her chest. Stiles looked like a fish out of water.

“Come on,” Ray said, taking his hand. “We have to tell them to let Scott’s mom in.”

“Right-yeah. No yeah.”

The two teens continued on. The boy couldn’t hold back his dazed smile, nor did he feel the need to. Ray could have been dragging him into a fire, and Stiles doubted he would notice. When the girl came to a stop at the front desk, her brows scrunched together and her lips pouted. His curiosity as to what made her so confused is what finally made him stop staring at her and examine the world around him again.

No one was standing at the front desk. In fact, the whole station seemed eerily quiet. There should have been at least four deputies on duty, and the night shift was usually talkative to help each other stay awake. Stiles called out to the lady who was supposed to be working, figuring she had just gone into the office behind the desk. When there was no response Stiles leaned forward to look behind the desk. The color in his face drained.

“Don’t look,” he whispered.

The girl’s chest tightened. She had a bad feeling she knew what that meant. There was a dead body behind the desk. Ray was smart enough to listen to Stiles and not see for herself. She had seen enough dead bodies in this town and didn’t need to add to that trauma.

The old floorboards of the station creaked behind them. Their interlocked hands tightened. Ray didn’t want to look behind them. Whoever it was was feeling such an intense hatred and disgust that made Ray was to curl in of herself and give up. Stiles wasn’t able to read emotions. He didn’t have that warning, so he turned to see who had approached them. His hand instantly dropped from Ray’s to shove the girl behind him. Over his shoulder, Ray could see Matt had been holding a gun. For a moment, Ray thought she was having another vision. Her fingers gripped onto the back of Stiles’s plaid shirt like she was trying to hold onto reality. The gun didn’t disappear.

Matt shook his head slowly in disappointment. The tears on his face weren’t a sign of remorse or fear. They didn’t make him seem relatable. They only made Ray fear him even more. It was like he was crying because he already decided to kill them.

“Hands to yourself, Nerine, and I won’t have to shoot your bitch of a boyfriend.”

Ray dropped her hands and sidestepped from Stiles for good measure. Stiles breathed in deeply through his nose. Now was not the time for him to have an outburst, but the white-hot rage Ray could sense from him seemed unstoppable. She was scared Stiles was going to lash out, and she didn’t think Matt would hesitate with the gun.

“What do you want from us?” Ray whispered before Stiles could say something sarcastic and get them both shot.

“Nothing from you two, but I do want to go talk with your dad, Stilinski.”

Matt had them lead him to the sheriff’s office. Scott had just gotten off the phone with his mom who was on her way to the station. The sheriff’s face fell as Ray and Stiles walked into the room, Matt shoving Stiles forward with his gun.

“Matt? It's Matt, right?” The sheriff asked, “Matt, whatever's going on, I guarantee you there's a solution that doesn't involve a gun.”

“You know, it's funny you say that because I don't think you're aware of just how right you are.”

“I know you don't wanna hurt people.”

“Actually, I wanna hurt a lot of people. You four weren't on my list, but I could be persuaded. And one way is to try dialing somebody on your cell phone like McCall is doing. That-,” Matt waved the gun around, “-that could definitely get someone hurt.” He pointed to the desk with his gun. “Everyone.” No one dared to move. “Now!”

“Come on,” the sheriff encouraged the teens all to put their phones on his desk. He was trained to handle situations like this, ones that required talking someone down. Ray was thankful he was there to advise them on what to do.

But that feeling of security didn’t last long. Matt led them out to the holding cells and had Stiles handcuff his dad to a bench. Part of Ray was grateful. Matt was controlling Jackson, who they had yet to see. Maybe it was best the sheriff was kept locked away from that part of their world. Stiles didn’t want his dad to find out and get dragged into everything. He was now anyway, but they could at least manage to keep from away from everything else like Derek’s pack and the hunters.

A hand brushed her own. Her eyes looked over to meet Scott’s gaze. _It will be okay_. A silent promise. She hoped for it to be true. They would stay calm and give Matt what he wanted. After that, he’d leave them alone. Like the man said, none of them were on his list. He didn’t intend to kill them.

Scott froze as they walked past a hallway. Ray peeked over his shoulder and instantly regretted it.

Two dead deputies were lying in pools their own blood. The walls were covered in deep red tiger stripes that were dripping down and puddling along the floorboards. The third deputy’s hand reach up to them, shaking like the small gesture was all the strength he could muster.

Surprisingly, it was Scott who lost his cool out of the three, “What, are you gonna kill everyone in here?”

“No, that's what Jackson's for,” Matt answered, “I just think about killing them, and he does it.”

A clawed hand reached from around the corner and dig into the third deputy’s chest. His hand instantly fell, his body dragged out of their sight.

“Keep walking," Matt said, pulling the other three out of their shock. His gun shoved Scott’s shoulder to get him to move. They ended up back in the sheriff’s office and were told to get rid of all the evidence and research having to do with the murders.

Stiles was assigned to working on deleting things off the computer since he knew how the station's system was run. The other two were stuck sifting through papers for what felt like hours. Realistically, it had only been twenty minutes when Ray handed Scott the last few papers to shred.

Hoping that made Matt happy, she dared to glance his way to see his reaction. The gun was still pointing his gun to Stiles who was close to deleting all the files on the computer, but Matt’s eyes were on her. She shifted uncomfortably before catching herself and remembering to stay as still as possible, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. Though, it seemed too late for that.

“Oh, I really do hope Stiles has told you how pretty you look in that dress, Ray,” Matt said darkly. The way he smirked as his eyes scanned her made her instinctively take a step behind Stiles, clearly using him as a cover so that she wasn’t so exposed. She reached out to grab the boy’s plaid shirt for comfort. Matt’s casual hold on the gun tightened. “Hands to yourself. Don’t make me remind you again.”

Her hands quickly dropped to her sides. Her heart was beating alarmingly fast, meanwhile, her lungs felt like they had given up entirely. Scott looked to her, terrified from being able to sense the oncoming panic attack. He quickly shoved the last few papers into the shredder to appease Matt and hopefully calm Ray.

Stiles wasn’t doing much better at hiding his emotions. The comment Matt made had Stiles clenching his jaw. The final click to delete the computer files was so loud, Ray thought Stiles had broken the mouse.

“Deleted,” Stiles said, “And we're done. All right, so, Matt, since all the people you brutally murdered deserved it because they killed you first- whatever that means- I think we're good here, right? So I'll just get my dad, and we'll go- You know, you continue on the whole vengeance thing. Enjoy the kanima.”

A car pulled up to the station. Its lights shined through the sheriff’s office window before shutting off. Rain started to latter against the window. There was a faint sound of thunder in the distance. Matt smirked.

“Sounds like your mom's here, McCall.”

“Matt, don't do this,” Scott broke from the calm silence. Ray couldn’t blame him. Melissa didn’t have to get involved. Scott begged, “When she comes to the door, I'll just tell her to leave. I'll tell her we didn't find anything. Please, Matt.”

“If you don't move-,” the gun shook, “now-I'm gonna kill Stiles first, then Ray, and then your mom.”

They all led Matt to the front door of the station. A gasp of air left Ray’s lips. She couldn’t hold in the tears anymore. She didn’t want Melissa to get hurt. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

Matt ignored her crying, “Open it.”

The rain outside was louder now, the kind you don’t want to get caught walking in.

Scott’s glossy eyes met Ray’s. He looked back to Matt, “Please.”

“Open. The. Door.”

Scott’s shaking hand reached out. The three friends collectively let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank God.”

It was Derek Hale, someone who would not hold back when asked to kill the master of the kanima. An alpha who was far more powerful than some shit kid with a gun.

A sharp slice rang through the air. Derek fell forward, revealing Jackson behind him. Scott reached out to break the man’s fall. Under Matt’s orders, Scott dragged the alpha into the sheriff’s office. He laid Derek down face up so that the man could see what was going on.

Derek had a surprising amount of bite left in him for a guy who couldn’t move, “This is the one controlling him? This kid?”

“Well, Derek, not everyone's lucky enough to be a big, bad werewolf.” Matt turned to the other three, waving his gun around carelessly. “Oh, yeah, that's- that's right! I've learned a few things lately. Werewolves, mermaids, hunters, kanimas. It's like a freaking Halloween party every full moon. Except for you, Stiles. What do you turn into?”

Ray didn’t know if she was still feeling Matt’s anger or if it was her own growing inside of her. The tips of her fingers started to warm. Thinking it must be just her palms getting sweaty from nerves, she ignored the feeling at first. It took her by surprise when she looked down and found little sparks coming off the tips of her fingers.

“Abominable snowman. But, uh, it's more of, like, a wintertime thing, you know, seasonal.”

As Stiles spoke, Ray brought her hand up to get a closer look. When she focused on it, the sparks started to connect like a line of electricity passing from one fingertip to the next. There was a loud thundering from the dark clouds outside.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Matt shouted, his gun now pointed at her.

“I-I don’t know. I’ve never done this before,” she said. But that wasn’t completely true. She had felt a tingling in her fingertips once before when Erica had her pinned against the lockers.

“Well stop!”

“I can’t control it! I’m new to this shit!”

Matt took a step closer. The gun was now alarmingly close to her chest. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna-“

His sentence was cut off as Ray wrapped her electric fingers around his wrist. His hand released the gun which is what Ray intended. Last week, Erica released her grip and jumped back when Ray tried that move on her, so that was all Ray was hoping Matt would do. She definitely didn’t expect him to fall to the floor, spasming from the electricity, but that side reflect was welcomed.

Maybe Ray had used slightly too much power, but the move was still effective. It was better than just creating a storm and boiling a cup of water. For once, she felt useful. As Matt was distracted, Jackson seemed to come to a little. His claws retracted and he blinked a few times, clearly confused about where he was and how he’d gotten there. It was a moment of hope for everyone else in the room. Part of Jackson was still there. He was still able to be saved.

Ray hurried to grab the gun. Not having much experience with weapons of any kind, Ray smartly handed it over to Stiles so that he could take out the bullets or something. With his dad being the sheriff, she assumed he knew something about handling guns. Stiles seemed dazed as she put the gun in his hand. He was smiling at her with his pupils blown out wide.

“That. . Was. . So freaking hot! Holy shit. I could kiss you right now.”

Before Ray had any time to process that, Scott suggested, “Maybe disarm the gun first?”

“Right, no yeah.”

No one had noticed Matt sitting up or the scales reforming across Jackson’s neck. Ray’s eyes went wide when a thin claw grazed the back of her neck. Stiles moved to catch her as she fell forward. As he was laying her down on the ground on her back next to Derek, Matt stood up behind him.

“Stiles!” Ray yelled.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got-“ Jackson sliced the back of his neck as well. Stiles fell forward onto Ray and Derek, knocking the air out of their lungs.

“Nice work, Stooges,” Matt said as he snatched the gun from Stiles. Jackson was glaring at Scott, daring him to make a move. Matt pointed the gun at Scott and said, “Claws away.”

Scott took a deep breath to calm himself. His claws retracted just as the sound of another car pulling up caught everyone’s attention. It had to have been Melissa. Ray wished she could scream out and warn her not to come in, but she knew Matt would use his gun.

“Is that finally her?” Matt asked Scott. “Do what I tell you to and I won't hurt her. I won't even let Jackson near her.”

“Scott, don't trust him!” Stiles said. The rain pouring outside got louder.

Matt grabbed Stiles off of Derek and Ray and threw the boy in his back. He pressed his boot to Stiles’s chest and pushed down, blocking the boy’s airflow. “This work better for ya?”

“Stop, Matt! Please!” Ray cried. Thunder shook the station. She hated the way Matt smirked down at her.

Scott yelled out too, grabbing Matt’s attention again. “Okay, just stop! Stop!”

“Then do what I tell you to.”

“Okay. Alright, Stop!”

The boot came off of Stiles’s chest. He took in a big breath of air. Instinctively, Ray tried to reach over to him. Of course, her body didn’t move an inch.

Scott and Matt left to let Melissa in the station. Ray steadied her breathing by counting the tiles on the ceiling. Even that was ruined by the sound of a gunshot ringing out, followed by Melissa’s screams. The sheriff was yelling from the back, wondering what was going on.

Ray could see green scales starting to trail up her hands. A few spouts of thunder rippled out. This time the sound didn’t even phase her. All she could focus on were the scales multiplying on her hands.

“How many tiles on the ceiling, Ray?” Stiles asked.

A tear fell from her face, dripping to her ear. It tickled. She wished she could wipe it away.

“I don’t want to count,” she whispered.

Something brushed against her hand. She looked down to see Stiles’s pinky reaching out to her. Her own reached back.

Matt forced Scott back into the office. The two teens on the ground quickly unlocked their pinkies so that the boy with the gun wouldn’t see.

Scott, who was clutching the bullet wound on his side, breathlessly asked, “The evidence is gone. Why don't you just go?"

“You- you think the evidence mattered that much, huh? No, no, I want the bestiary! Not just a few pages, I want the entire thing.”

“I don't have it. It's Gerard's. What do you want it for, anyway?”

“I need answers.”

“Answers to what?”

Matt lifted up his shirt. His entire side was covered in the scales of the kanima. “To this.”

The plan Scott offered was sending a text to Allison to ask her to bring the bestiary to the station. A lot was a stake with that plan. One of the main flaws was that Scott assumed Allison was even awake to read the text at this hour. It was enough to get Matt and his gun out of the room again, though. He led Scott out to the front to wait for Allison.

After they were gone, Stiles whispered, “Derek, you know what's happening to Matt?”

“I know, the book's not gonna help him. You can't just break the rules, not like this. Universe balances things out. Always does.”

“Is it because he's using Jackson to kill people who don't deserve it?”

“And killing himself.”

“You mean the mother, Jessica,” Ray said.

“So if Matt breaks the rules of the kanima, he becomes the kanima?” Stiles asked.

“Balance,” was all Derek offered. It was kind of poetic. Ray would have appreciated the myth if it was just that, a myth, not her reality.

Stiles sighed. “Will he believe us if we tell him that?”

“Matt came here for a solution. He won't like hearing he’s turning into a lizard creature because he broke a mythological rule,” Ray said.

“Okay, he's gonna kill all of us when he gets that book, isn't he?” Stiles was quick to lose optimism. Ray couldn’t blame him. They were paralyzed, and there was a psychopath with a gun stomping around whose best friend was a murderer lizard beast. Their odds weren’t the greatest whether Matt got his answers or not.

After a while of no one talking, Stiles asked, “So what do we do? Do we just- do we just sit here and wait to die?”

“Unless I can figure out a way to push the toxin out of my body faster. Like triggering the healing process,” Derek said followed by a revolting squelching noise.

“Oh god,” Stiles commented on the noise. “What the hell is he doing?”

Ray glanced down at Derek’s hand. The man was digging his claws into his own thigh. Blood covered his fingers.

“Stabbing himself.”

“Oh-gross.”

Ray squeezed her eyes shut. “I might throw up.”

“So,” Stiles spoke again a few moments later, not waiting long at all for Derek to actually make any progress, “-is that hypothetical situation we talked about getting any less hypothetical?”

“I think so. I can move my toes,” Derek told him.

“Dude, I can move my toes.”

Derek grumbled in annoyance then said something that completely surprised the two teens he was stuck with, “Ray, shock me.”

“Are you crazy?” The girl whispered back.

“My claws obviously aren’t working fast enough.”

“I- I can’t. I just learned I could even do that like ten minutes ago!”

“You’ve done it to Erica before,” Derek reminded her.

“You have?” Stiles blurted out. “Why did you shock Erica? How long have you been able to shock people? Is that even a normal sea nymph trait? Can-“

“Stiles,” Derek grumbled, “Shut up so that she can focus.”

“Derek, you are gonna have to just keep stabbing yourself because I can’t control it,” Ray insisted.

“Yes, you can. It’s the full moon. The moon-“

“-Gives is power, but does not have power over us,” Ray finished. “I know, I know.”

Then Derek Hale said something so softly, as if it wasn’t meant to be heard, “You remembered.”

Ray wished she could see his face in that moment because she was certain her ears were tricking her. How could something sounding so vulnerable come out of Derek Hale? Did he expect her not to remember the advice he gave her last full moon? That was all she had. It wasn’t like her mother was stepping up to the plate to help her understand her newfound powers.

Her pinky reached out to grab the werewolf’s bloody hand. The slimy feeling from the blood covering his palm made her gag. Ray closed her eyes and tried to focus. She pictured her fingertips starting to spark, but her hand wasn’t heating up. Failure. That’s what she was. She couldn’t control her powers, didn’t know how to use them, and fucked up when they did finally work.

“It’s not working,” she mumbled.

“You just did it ten minutes ago,” Derek told her, “What made it work before?”

“I don’t know! I guess- Matt was angry and I was feeding off of that?”

“So you need to get angry like the Hulk, like Scott,” Stiles pieced together.

“What makes you angry?” Derek asked her.

“I don’t know! Nothing! I can’t think of anything right now!” Truthfully, she was just scared. They had been held at gunpoint for half an hour. Matt took Scott somewhere else then shot him in front of his mother. Ray was paralyzed, so even if she could control her powers, she wouldn’t be able to help against anyone.

Derek groaned “Stiles, you’re her friend. What pisses her off?”

“Well it used to be me except we’ve been sort of getting along recently, so now I don’t know. I mean-we’ve kinda just been focused on staying alive- oh! After the rave, you were like, royally pissed, Ray.”

“Of course I was pissed off! I was holding my nearly dead best friend in my arms!” Her hand started to heat up. She couldn’t believe it was sort of working.

Derek spoke up, “Think about how you were feeling in that moment. Build your power from that anger.”

When she closed her eyes, she imagined how Scott felt like dead weight in her arms. She could hear how desperate he was for air. How could someone have sat back and watched him suffer like that? Victoria Argent probably enjoyed watching Scott struggle to breathe.

Derek yelled out. Electric blue currents swirled up his right arm. His yelling turned into a deep, painful roar followed by him pulling his hand away from her own. Derek was able to move his arm around freely, and his neck wasn’t as stiff. Ray was experiencing something similar. She was able to bring her hand up above her face to watch the blue currents in awe.

“Don’t piss off Ray. Noted,” Stiles mumbled, mostly to himself.

Derek gritted his teeth. He hated what he was about to say, but he was so close to healing from the toxin. “Do it again.”

Ray didn’t know if Derek expected her to hesitate, but she did not. Her hand instantly landed on his stomach and shocked him. It felt a little childish how she enjoyed his cry out in pain. In her defense, he threw her in a trunk and paralyzed her and got her bike stolen.

“I’m good with lying here and staying paralyzed, for the record,” Stiles said as he listened to Derek’s grumbling.

Now feeling was back across her shoulders. The werewolf seemed to be good enough to stand. He was using the desk to pull himself up when gunfire rang out, breaking through every window in the building, including the one in the office. Its glass shattered across the whole room, followed by an alarm blaring out. Derek quickly ducked down out of the line of fire. He covered his ears and winced.

Ray rolled onto her side, facing the werewolf. She pushed herself up with her good arm.

“Grab Stiles!” She told him.

Just then Scott ran into the room and thankfully grabbed Stiles. He hesitated, looking to Ray then to Derek.

“Go!” Derek told him. “I’ve got her. Get him out of here!” His hands wrapped around Ray’s upper arm and pulled her up to stand. She wasn’t able to move her legs yet, so he had to drag her out of the office. Before they could leave, the kanima slithered in. Derek backed up into the desk and let Ray hold herself up. The gunfire had stopped, but that just meant the Argents had found a way in.

Derek’s eyes glowed a bright red. He growled and lunged at the creature. Some feeling in Ray’s legs was coming back. She could move her ankles around, but her knees were still locked.

The tail wrapped around Derek’s leg. The werewolf stomped on it then sent a punch straight at the creature’s face. It stumbled back toward the door. Derek stayed on the offense by chasing after it and clawing at its chest.

Ray took a step forward. That seemed alright. She took another, wobbling slightly. The kanima had run down the hall to go do who knows what. Derek turned back to her, his eyes flickered back to their human state.

“Can you walk?” He asked firmly.

“I think?”

“Good. Let’s get you to Scott.”

The two came to a stop outside the evidence room. Derek bared his teeth and brought out his claws. He flashed his red eyes at Ray and gave her a warning, “Don’t follow me. Go find Scott.”

Ray wasn’t feeling stupidly heroic at that moment. She didn’t follow Derek into that room, knowing damn well that’s where the kanima must have been. The walls of the hallway were splattered with the blood of the trained deputies that had faced that thing. The horrific sight did not give Ray the urge to run off and find Scott who she knew could probably handle himself for the most part. She was worried about Stiles. Where had Scott taken him? Was he okay? Did Scott stay with him to protect him, or did he ditch him like Derek just had done to her?

All the gunfire and smoke grenades had muddied Ray’s senses, so she hadn’t noticed the sound of boots running until the person wearing them was already glaring at her from down the hall. But Ray didn’t register that glare. She saw her friend and thought, _oh, someone coming to save the day_.

“Thank god,” Ray whispered as the other girl started walking toward her, “Have you seen Stiles?”

The other girl didn’t answer.

“Or Scott? Or. . Anyone?” Ray was desperate to hear that everyone else was okay.

It then dawned on her that Allison Argent was not coming at her to help. She was storming down the hall, a woman on a mission. The heavy crossbow in her hand was raised and pointed to Ray, causing her to gasp and stumbled back into the wall. It felt like she had leaned against fresh paint as the cold, wet blood of a deputy seeped through the back of her dress.

“Ali?” She called out on disbelief as the hunter stopped in front of her, not lowering her weapon.

“Where’s Derek?” Allison demanded.

That pushed Ray’s patience over the edge. She knew the Argents had been trying to kill Derek for months, but now hardly seemed like the time.

“Don’t you mean where’s Jackson? Or Matt? Who has a freaking gun, by the way.” The crossbow shifted in Allison’s hands. Any other words Ray had to say died in her lips.

Allison shook her head in disbelief, “Don’t distract me.” Allison was no longer in her party clothes. Mascara stained her puffy under eyes. The stillness in her body movements made it seem like if she relaxed in any way, she’d fall apart.

Something more had happened. Someone wasn’t okay. Ray knew Allison would not have been falling apart over Stiles, so there seemed like only one logical conclusion.

“Is Scott-,” Ray couldn’t even say it. The weapon pointing at her face felt like nothing in comparison to the assumptions her brain were making.

“Scott is fine. He went that way-,” Allison nodded over her shoulder. “Where’s Derek.”

“Why?” Was all Ray could say. She wanted to know why her friend was holding a weapon to her. Sure, they had been on the rocks that week, but Allison said she was working on forgiving her. This didn’t feel like forgiveness.

“He killed my mother.” It was then that Allison’s demeanor finally started to crack. A tear escaped her and her voice started to shake. “And in my family, we have a code. We _hunt_ those who hunt _us_. So tell me,” the girl paused to collect herself. “Where’s Derek?”

Ray didn’t want to believe she would have been the type of person to give up someone so easily, especially not someone who had just saved her from the kanima minutes prior. Allison, without knowing, had dug a knife into Ray’s chest and twisted it with that six word code her family lived by.

It was as if she was in a trance, whispering her own family’s code, “Cazamos a los que nos cazan.”

Allison tilted her head in confusion, not understanding a single word from Ray’s phrase. Ray’s eyes flickered to the door Derek had gone into. The crossbow was finally lowered as the hunter’s focus shifted to the door. Allison went in with the intent to kill Derek Hale, who had gone in with the intent to kill the kanima. A heroically stupid move he had hoped would save everyone.

With Allison out of her sight, Ray instantly went back to wondering where Stiles was. She started to run down the hall to find him, but a sense of guilt crept up on her. She looked back at the door and cursed under her breath. Leaving Derek like that was not something she could live with, even with the knowledge that he had killed Allison’s mother. Which. . Why? How? When?

Still, Derek was one of the only people who had given Ray advice about controlling herself on the full moon. Advice that sort of worked for her all of tonight. He had also saved Scott from Allison’s mother the other night at the rave, an act Ray was extremely grateful for.

Ray slipped into the evidence room as quiet as possible. It was completely dark except for the emergency lights that briefly flashed an unsettling yellow every few seconds. A blaring alarm was paired with each flash. Each time the noise made her jump even though she knew it was coming.

The evidence room wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to Ray, but the last time she was in there was seventh grade when she, Scott, and Stiles had gotten into trouble for playing hide and seek at the station. It wasn’t their smartest moment, but they had been very bored waiting for Noah to finish writing a lengthy report.

_“I know this station like the back of my hand,” Stiles had declared._

_“Betcha won’t be able to find me,” Ray challenged._

_Scott perked up, excited to do anything other than wait on the bench like they had been for the last twenty minutes, “Let’s hide and whoever Stiles finds first loses.”_

_“You’re on, Scotty.”_

Ray tiptoed down an aisle. She tried to see through the shelves to the next aisle over. It seemed empty. The darkness made it seem like someone was watching her. She didn’t dare to touch any surfaces, fearful they were laced in the paralytic toxin that she had just managed to get out of her system. Being paralyzed in here would certainly get her killed. If not by the kanima, then by the boy with the gun, or worse. . .Her own friend’s arrow.

_“Wait,” Scott had said, grabbing Ray by the arm, “We aren’t allowed to go in there!”_

_“Exactly. Stiles will never find me.”_

_“Well, I’m not going in there.”_

_“Then play by the rules and lose when Stiles find you first.”_

Her shifty footsteps were probably going to get her caught, but she was having a hard time hearing them over how loud the blood was thumping in her ears. She couldn’t take a step forward without feeling the need to look over her shoulder. The bottom of her dress caught on one of the loose screws on the metal shelves lined with boxes of evidence boxes. The slight tug made her heart race until she looked down and realized what had happened. She calmed for a second, letting her guard down long enough for the flash of lights and alarm scare her. She gasped then immediately put her hand over her mouth.

_It felt like ages Ray was sitting in one of the rows of shelves until finally Stiles’s squeaky sneakers could be heard running through the room. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her._

_“Scott said you came in here. Nice choice, by the way, but- oh god, we have to get out quick before-“_

_The door to the evidence room opened again. Two sets of heavy footsteps calmly walked down one of the aisles, a couple of deputies grabbing the evidence for a missing person’s case. Stiles put his hand over Ray’s mouth so that she wouldn’t make a sound._

Ray rounded the corner and was struck with fear yet again as she stumbled into someone. Luckily, it was just the man she was hoping to see. Derek Hale guided her down an aisle then motioned for her to crouch with him.

“What are you doing here?” He whispered, clearly angry with her.

“The Argents aren’t here for Jackson, they are here for you. To kill you.”

Derek’s fist clenched. He looked like he wanted to punch the box of evidence next to his head, but decided against making that much noise. “That’s why I told you to go find Scott! They’ll kill you too for helping me.”

_The younger Stiles and Ray had made it safely to the door without being noticed. They snuck out successfully and stared at the door in shock for a moment._

_“We did it!” Stiles had exclaimed. He triumphantly pumped his fist in the air, “Yes! Holy sh-,” the boy pivoted to see his father glaring at the pair with his arms crossed. “Oh no.”_

_Scott came running up behind his friend’s dad then skidded to a halt. The boy tried to walk backward away from the confrontation, but it was too late. Noah looked back at Scott with such disappointment._

_“Not you too, Scotty.”_

The kanima hissed from somewhere across the room. Derek and Ray stood up and glanced around the corner. The creature was hunched over Chris Argent who looked to be unconscious. A district hiss of an arrow made Derek and Ray both scramble back to their hiding spots, not wanting to be seen by any hunters. Sadly, that single shot was not enough to kill the damn thing because it screeched out. It wasn’t that Ray wanted Jackson dead, but the kanima wasn’t playing by the rules of only killing murders anymore. The stakes were higher. If Matt was using it to go after her friends. . If he had used it to go after Stiles.

What if he already had? Ray didn’t know where Scott had taken him. He was paralyzed with no way to defend himself. Ray had to find him.

“Come on,” Derek finally invited her to help instead of telling her to stay behind. Once again, Derek Hale heroically went off after the myth that was designed to kill despite knowing a family of hunters were dispersed across the station with hopes of killing him. Ray had the urge to scream at him and call him an idiot. They should be running the other way, grabbing Stiles, the parents, and getting the hell out of the station. The two of them alone were no match against the kanima, Matt, and an army of hunters.

Before he could get too far, Ray sprinted after him. He was an idiot for going into this fight. She knew she was an idiot for going in after him. A few weeks ago, Ray would have said to hell with Derek Hale and ran the other way. Now things didn’t seem so easy. Would a bad guy risk his life this many times in one night?

Maybe he wasn’t all bad. Ray couldn’t justify leaving a guy who was morally grey for dead, no matter how dark grey he was on the scale.

They chased the kanima out into the main work area of the station. Derek pulled Ray down to hide behind a desk. The action moved him slightly closer to the center of that scale.

They watched the creature jump up onto a desk and slowly peaked over the edge to look underneath. Ray feared the only other person in the room was the one the kanima had been chasing, Allison. Her heart nearly flopped out of her chest when the kanima hissed. Surprising everyone, the hunter in question came running at the beast from another angle and jumped fearlessly at it.

Allison dug her knife into the chest of the kanima. The creature didn’t even flinch. It held her in place by grabbing around her neck. Ray took a step out of their hiding place, wanting to go help. Derek put his arm out and pushed her back, shaking his head no. Ray looked at him in shock, wondering how he was just going to let a young girl die without even trying to help. Allison wasn’t just a young girl, though. She was a hunter, and she didn’t just give up and let the kanima grab her like that. She pulled a knife from her boot and dug it into the side of its neck.

Any one of her stabs should have been fatal, but the kanima just hissed and slashed the back of her neck, letting her fall to the ground, paralyzed. Ray stepped out from around the desk with a blue spark emanating from her fingertips. She wasn’t intentionally conjuring the lightning, she was just mad beyond the point of return.

Again, Derek pulled her back. The girl glared at him until he pointed out that Matt had entered the evidence room. At the sight of his gun, Ray was stricken with fear. The blue light in her hands flickered out, a surrender. The thought of a weapon being pointed at her was paralyzing enough on its own. Matt didn’t need the kanima to scare her into submission.

Then flashes of that vision from Lydia's punch were haunting her again. Only this time, part of her vision had already come true. Allison had pointed a crossbow at her. What if other parts of the vision come true? What if her grandfather decided to go back to his old life? If someone like Allison, who was once her friend, was able to switch alliances so quickly, who’s to say her grandfather wouldn’t do the same?

Matt’s yelling brought her attention back to Allison.

“If I can’t have you-,” Matt raised the gun, “No one can!”

Without thinking, Ray charged forward and knocked Matt onto his back. Her momentum caused her to fall on top of him. The two were face to face, the boy’s eyes full of rage and the girl’s only displayed surprise from the tackle move working. They wrestled for his gun, but Matt was stronger. He managed to shove her off of him then used the gun to smack her across the face, leaving a small cut and what would later be a giant bruise on her cheek.

“Oh, you fucker!” Ray’s hand went straight for his throat, but she was pulled up by her shirt and thrown across the room by Derek Hale. Matt shot Derek in the stomach, a bullet meant to hit her if he hadn’t stepped in the way. The bullet wound only angered the Alpha, causing him to roar and bare his teeth. Matt was smart to run off.

“You okay?” Derek asked the girl.

Ray didn’t know if she had an answer for him at that moment. Her friend was no longer lying on the ground helpless which meant someone had grabbed her and hopefully taken her to safety. If Allison was safe, Ray decided she was okay. She nodded then gingerly touched her cheek.

“Good,” Derek sounded tired. The werewolf spat blood from his mouth. His hand was pressed firmly over his stomach where he had been shot. The wound was just below his heart and gushing blood. His legs started to wobble. The desk behind him scraped loudly against the floor as he fell back against it for support.

“You’re not healing,” Ray said in horror. "Why aren't you healing?"

“I-,” Derek gasped in pain. Bile crawled up Ray’s throat as she watched him dig his fingers into the wound and pull out the bullet. It dropped to the floor with a chilling clatter. He sighed and whispered weakly, “It's a long story. I’ll be fine. We have to find Scott. He can’t fight that thing alone.”

That’s how the two ended up back in the halls. Derek’s arm was swung weakly over Ray’s shoulders so that she could help hold him up. Her hand around his waist kept slipping from all the blood staining his shirt. Derek stumbled, and Ray was not able to hold his weight. She leaned him against the wall and looked around for something to tie around his stomach as a tourniquet. All that was in the hallway was a water cooler. An idea popped into her head. She filled up a small paper cup.

“That’s not-,” Derek was slurring his words, “I’m not thirsty I’m bleeding out.”

“Shut up, Hale. I’m about to save you.” She lifted his shirt and tried not to gag.

“How can you-,” he gasped when she poured the water over the wound then harshly held her hand against it.

A warmth emitted from her hand. The blood around the wound stopped running and slowly started to trickled upward, back toward the wound. Derek jolted always from the feeling, but Ray followed his movements and kept her hand in place until the blood had all disappeared. She gingerly moved her hand from the spot. They were both surprised to see his stomach fully intact as if he had never been shot.

“How- how?”

“Deaton showed me how to do that with Scott after you sliced him at the ice rink.”

Ray let Derek sit with that for a moment. He hadn’t been great to her the past couple of months, but still, she couldn’t let him die. She came back to warn him about the Argents in the evidence room, and now she had healed him. It wasn’t completely from the goodness of her heart, though. She did slightly feel like she owed him after he saved Scott at the rave and herself, twice now tonight.

Hell, he took a bullet for her.

But she hadn’t forgotten the time he kidnapped her and put her in a trunk either.

“I need to find Stiles,” Ray said.

“Wait,” Derek called. “I’ll help you find him.”

Ray was under the impression this whole time that Scott had taken Stiles somewhere safe. As the two jogged back to the main hall of the station, she quickly realized Derek wasn’t leading her to a room where the boy was hidden away. Instead, they found him on the floor, just around the corner from the cell and the bench they left his dad in lifetimes ago. Melissa screamed out.

Derek glanced down at Stiles then said, “You got him?”

“Yes,” Ray said through clenched teeth as she lifted the boy up to sit against the wall. She crouched in front of the boy. “You getting any feeling back?”

“M-my dad. Can you go get my dad?”

Ray peeked her head around the corner. The sheriff was lying on the floor knocked out while Scott and Derek were completely wolfed out and fighting the kanima. She swallowed thickly. What was she supposed to do? Tell the boy she was too scared to go save his dad? Everyone else was distracted anyway. Ray could just run in there, grab the sheriff by his shoulders, and drag him over here. Simple. She could do it.

On the bright side, she didn’t see anyone with a weapon.

Immediately after running around the corner, the kanima was in her face hissing at her. She screamed and dipped out of the way. Melissa cried to her from the jail cell.

“Ray! Get out of here!”

Scott slashed his claws along the kanima’s back, distracting it long enough for Ray to make it to the sheriff. He was heavier than his son, but Ray was able to tug his body around the corner and out of the chaotic fight. Stiles crawled over his dad’s body and tapped his face.

“Dad? Dad!” His father groaned but didn’t open his eyes.

“Stiles,” Ray grabbed the boy’s hand. “Maybe wait until the werewolves and kanima are done before attempting that?”

“Yeah,” Stiles whispered. He moved to put his head’s he’s down his hands. “No, yeah. He’s gonna be fine. I’ll wait. I can wait.”

Medics and police were running up and down the parking lot of the police station, but they were all too busy with the dead deputies to notice Raymona Nerine leaning against the hood of a blue jeep. She was staring up at the night sky. Dark storm clouds were slowly clearing out now that she was calm. The asphalt was still wet from the rain, its smell was almost strong enough to overpower the dying bloodstain on the back of her dress.

Stiles Stilinski had managed to slip away from his dad’s watchful eye as well. After Noah woke up, he left to go off after Matt with the rest of the force. Stiles searched in his pocket for his keys. They were all twisted up with a pair of headphones. He finally pried the two objects apart then looked up to see Ray leaning against his car. His footing faltered.

He figured her mother would have picked her up by now. Had she not given her a call yet?

“What are you still doing here?” Stiles asked.

“Waiting for my ride.”

“Oh, so your mom is on her way?”

The girl shook her head no. “I didn’t have a way to call, but Mel said she’d take me home after she’s done in the ambulance and giving a report. She’s gonna talk to my mom for me.”

The dress Lydia let her borrow was stained and torn in a few places. It was just past four in the morning at the end of March. Dew was scattered across the bushes and trees surrounding the station. A fog had rolled in. Ray could see her breath in the air. The chill made her feel normal again. It had calmed down the hours of adrenaline she had been surviving off of. As she yawned, Ray crossed her arms and tried to warm herself. At this point, she could probably fall asleep on the jagged floor of the parking lot.

“I have an extra jacket in the back,” Stiles offered. She followed him around to the back of the jeep where they were blocked from the emergency vehicle lights. Stiles unlocked the top half of the back of his jeep and reached in for his zip-up hoodie that looked very warm in comparison to the light wind blowing around them.

Instead of putting the jacket on instantly like he expected her to, she just held it close and stared at him. The birds chirped in the trees around them. Ray was always so fascinated with how sound seemed to travel further in the morning.

She was also fascinated with the boy in front of her. No one should look that good under the glow of emergency lights. A moment was stuck in her head. With all that had gone on that night, she wondered if he forgot he had said it.

He licked his lips. His eyes traveled down her body, mostly focused on the jacket in her hands. His brows scrunched together. Why hadn’t she put it on yet?

“Ray, you good?” His hand went to her arm to comfort her. She was cold to the touch. He would have just embraced her right then and there, but he controlled himself and opted for just rubbing her arms to warm them instead. “You should probably put that jacket on. You wanna sit in the jeep to warm up?” The offer wasn't much. His heater didn't work until the engine heated up, and the engine didn't heat up until he had been driving for at least ten minutes, probably longer in this chilly weather.

Ray's heart was beating in her ears, and her nerves weren’t going to get better. There was something weighing heavy on her mind. The events of the night were too much for her to process at the moment, so she only let herself focus on the one positive thing that occurred. But could she bring herself to say something about it? If she didn’t just build up the courage to ask him now, she would just keep wondering and overthinking until it got to be too much and she exploded.

She thought back to that night at the school with the Alpha, back before they even knew it was Peter. She had said the same thing Stiles did tonight. That night she meant it, but she denied it when he asked.

She hoped he wouldn’t deny it.

“So, what was that earlier about wanting to kiss me?”

Stiles blinked at her a few times. The longer he stayed silent, the more Ray wished she hadn’t asked. Eventually, she gave up and broke away from his gaze to put on the coat. The wind was starting to become uncomfortable.

After she put the jacket on she looked back up to Stiles, ready to tell him she was just kidding or something to get him to stop having a heart attack. She hadn’t expected Stiles to close the space between the two of them and put a gentle hand under her chin, being careful not to tough her bruising cheek. His face was so close to hers that her eyes couldn’t even focus on his freckles.

“I meant it,” he whispered.

Ray’s hands clutched his shirt around his hips. She whispered back, “Then do it.”

Stiles didn’t need to be told twice. Ray managed one last intake of air before his lips met hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hands traveled up his chest to his neck to hold him right where he was. His thumb lightly shifted across her good cheek as he moved his hand to tangle in the hair at the nape of her neck. His other hand was holding her hip so softly like he was afraid of scaring her away.

Ray broke away from the kiss to remind herself to breathe for just a moment before going in for a second kiss. This time Stiles had the courage to hold her a little tighter and pull her in a little closer. When he ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip, Ray had to open her eyes for a second to make sure it was still Stiles she was kissing.

She pulled away, her face feeling much warmer than it ever had before. Actually, she felt warm all over.

“I'm glad you meant it,” she said breathlessly.

Stiles chuckled. He put his forehead to hers and said, “How could I not?"

Ray smoothed his shirt where she had wrinkled it all up from grabbing at him. “Right, well, Melissa is probably looking for me.”

Stiles started to let her go, but she pulled him down for one more quick kiss before stepping away. The two teens gave each other big, goofy grins as Ray backed away. She walked around the side of the jeep then paused and jogged back to the spot behind it where they were hidden from the world.

“Just one more?” She asked sweetly.

Stiles ran his fingers through her hair and said, “As many times as you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It finally happened! Their first kiss!! Gosh this scene was so fun to write. There a few quote callbacks to 1x7 and 2x3. These two are so adorable to write for, honestly! 
> 
> Also..writing that suspense scene walking into the evidence room was so much fun! Let me know if the flashbacks made it more suspenseful or took you out of the experience. I don’t do too many longer flashbacks, but I’m experimenting! So let me know what you thought!
> 
> THE TITLE OF THIS STORY WILL BE CHANGING TO “Current” WHEN I START SEASON 3! So just beware of that in a few chapters.
> 
> Love you guys! Stay safe! My state is on fire, so if you live in California, have a go bag ready and stay hydrated!


	23. Troubled Waters

By the time Melissa finished explaining the situation with Matt and the gun, the sun was starting to rise. After Sonia walked Melissa out, she came and sat at the island counter in the kitchen and stared into the half-empty cup of coffee she had made for her neighbor. Her daughter had showered and changed during the talk and now she was also sitting on a kitchen stool, staring at the same cup of coffee. It had been painfully obvious that Melissa was leaving parts of the story out. There was a missing element, something that seemed to haunt Melissa as she spoke. Sonia's daughter was nervously chewing her fingernails. It seemed like she was holding her breath. 

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Sonia assumed.

Her daughter nodded her head yes. She took in a deep breath, clearly scared and nervous to explain the other half of it all, the half Melissa couldn’t bring herself to talk about.

“How much do you know about what Abuelo used to do?”

And that’s how her daughter started her explanation. Ray told her mother everything from start to finish. What they were doing the night in the woods that led to her getting grounded, the journey it took to find out who the Alpha was, the true events of the winter formal, her friends finding out about her. That last part is what Sonia was the most concerned about, but it seemed to be the part her daughter was the least worried about. She even smiled telling part of it.

“And he stayed up that whole night researching everything he could about sea nymphs and mermaids. I didn’t even ask him to, he just wanted to help me find some answers.”

Then she told her mother about Derek growing his pack, the mysterious murders, and the kanima.

“And that’s how I lost my bike,” she said sheepishly. “It wasn’t stolen from the school. I left it when Derek took me to test me.”

“To see if you were the lizard creature that kills murderers,” her mother said slowly.

“Yes! See, now you’re starting to get it. Okay, so then Derek tried to kill Lydia because he thought it was her, but really it was Jackson. Then the boys chased Jackson to the club where he tried to kill Danny, but Scott saved him.”

“Your brother is involved in all this?”

“Oh, right. I forgot to explain that part. Well, Jackson filmed himself on the night of the full moon. . .-“ Then after a while, Ray finally got to explaining the events of that night. “And when Jackson saved Matt from the pool, that’s how we knew it was him controlling it.”

Sonia was on her third cup of coffee. She asked, “And the Stilinski boy, how is he involved in all of this?”

“Well, he. . Figures everything out and drives us around.”

“So he’s. . Normal?”

“Yes, he’s human.” Ray would exactly say normal. Stiles had never exactly been "normal".

“Good-,” Sonia finished her coffee. “That’s good. Now, go get me your laptop and your phone.”

“Mom, don’t do this-“

“Raymona. You can’t expect me not to ground you.” She got up from the stool to put her mug in the sink.

“Mom, please! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“You went to a rave!”

“I didn’t go inside to dance! Only to find Danny!”

“Well-,” Sonia was speechless for a moment. “You lied.”

Ray stood up. “When did I lie?!”

“You didn’t exactly tell the truth!”

“I’m telling you now! Mom, be honest, would you have even believed me if I told you about Scott from the beginning?”

Sonia looked out her kitchen window to glare at the neighbors’ home. She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you didn’t come to me sooner.”

At what point could Ray have gone to her mother? Maybe after getting caught at the club, maybe after winter formal, or even when her abuela came to warn her about hunters. Or even further back than that, even before her birthday. Ray could have explained things to her mother after the alpha attacked them at the school at night. None of those times would have caused her mother to react any differently. Any time Raymona stepped a foot out of line it went straight to grounding. Ray didn’t want to be grounded after spending an entire night in a station with a gun held to her and her friends.

“Would you have helped me, or would you have grounded me like always,” Ray said venomously.

A light sob escaped her mother’s lips. Regret washed over the girl. Hurting her mother wasn’t what she intended. She stepped forward to put a hand on her mother’s shoulder, but before she could touch the woman, her mother whispered, “Just go to your room. I don’t want to see you right now.”

Raymona didn’t leave her room much for the remainder of spring break. She wasn’t grounded, but her mother was avoiding her, though, that was probably for the best.

After the events at the station, it was hard to turn her mind off. Her nightly routine started out with her family falling asleep. The house would settle and become quiet. Ray would check her phone once, twice, ten more times. The constant brightness of her blank lock screen made it hard to sleep. Next, she would crawl out onto her roof to see her neighbor’s bedroom light was still on. The first night this happened, Ray whispered to him, knowing he’d hear her call.

“Scotty, you up?”

His bedroom light went out. The curtains closed.

She sat alone and stared at the moon, trying not to think about the news report she had heard on TV earlier about Matt drowning. Police had been searching for him through the night and found his body that morning in a creek near the station. Ray knew that creek well enough to know it wasn’t deep enough to drown. The water didn’t go past her knees.

She didn’t want to think about what that meant.

Sitting on the roof alone would happen every night after that. The only difference was she stopped calling out to Scott. He knew she was out there because every night as soon as she crawled out, his curtains would close and his light would shut off. If he wanted to talk with her, he could.

Her communication with Stiles wasn’t any better. The boy had messaged her once to tell her his dad got his job back. She messaged back saying it was nice to hear good news for a change. Even though the only reason they got that good news was because they helped his dad piece together the serial murders going around town, only for the murderer, their classmate, to turn up dead in the very way he feared most. What a wonderful spring break this was turning out to be.

Everything felt heavy. It felt like she was out in the middle of the ocean hanging onto a broken board and hoping someone would come along to ask if she needed help. Boats went by. No one even noticed her.

To make things worse, there was this conflict going on in her head that felt so superficial in comparison to everything else. She and Stiles finally had their moment. They kissed. And then. .

Nothing.

Well, something happened for sure. Sparks, fireworks, whatever they talk about in movies. The kiss felt great, amazing. It wasn't a question of wanting to do it again, that much was obvious to her, but how could she express that when they were barely even communicating?

Every time she thought about the kiss for even a moment, she felt this immense guilt. How could she be worried about something so minuscule while Allison was dealing with the loss of her mother?

Allison wasn’t the only one dealing with loss. Matt had been Isaac’s childhood best friend. Isaac, who had already lost his mother, father, and brother, now had to come to terms with the fact that his very own friend was the reason his father was dead. Matt himself was gone now too, and even though he did all those horrible things, Isaac must have still been hurt to hear the news. Who wouldn’t have been saddened to hear the boy’s greatest fear was the exact way he died? Regardless of what he did. . The way he went was just so. . Tragic.

And Scott had his own set of problems with his mother seeing him, Derek, and the kanima. Ray’s mother knew about her and their family history. The news wasn't as shocking for Sonia as it was for Melissa. Ray couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to explain to your mother that supernatural creatures existed in their small town.

All that was why Ray couldn’t sleep. She stared up at the moon and wondered how something so beautiful could be the reason for so much chaos in the lives of those around her.

“Raymona, mija,” Sonia’s voice was uncharacteristically soft as she called from her daughter’s bedroom window. “Come inside. It’s freezing out there tonight.” It was the first thing her mother had said to her in days. Ray was surprised her mother had even let herself into the girl’s room.

Ray climbed back through her window which her mother instantly shut. A warm blanket was draped over the girl’s shoulders as her mother guided her to her bed.

“Scotty will talk to you again when he is ready,” her mother promised. “I know you miss your friends, but you guys all went through a lot.”

Her mother had to have known this all wasn’t something the teens were just going to bounce back from, at least, not any time soon. The words were probably just meant for comfort, which her daughter appreciated. What Ray couldn’t figure out was why everyone was trying to bounce back on their own and not together. Weren’t things easier when you had your friends to lean on?

With Allison, it made sense. They were already on the rocks before her mother died. Of course, she didn’t want to respond to Ray’s feeble attempts at reaching out over text. But Scott? Scott had never gone this long without talking to her. It was hard to avoid one another when they constantly saw each other coming and going from their houses. She had even knocked on his door to ask if he wanted to shoot hoops with her brothers and he didn’t even answer. Ray knew he was home, she could hear him playing his guitar in his bedroom just before going over to invite him.

Oddly, Lydia had been completely ignoring everyone since her party. Ray thought the girl would have wanted to stay in the know about everything, but apparently, she was fine pretending like planing the rally for the championship game with the rest of ASB was the most important thing going on in Beacon Hills. Could Ray blame her though? If Lydia wanted to just live out a normal high school career, then so be it. She deserved that after everything they put her through.

And then there was Stiles who. . Well, he wasn’t his usual loud self. Ray knew logically that he was just taking time to process all he and his dad went through, but part of her feared he was pushing her away because. . Because. .

He didn’t feel anything when they kissed.

“Mom?” The girl asked as her mother tucked her into bed, “Have you ever. . Have you ever loved someone who didn’t love you back?”

Sonia sat at the foot of her daughter's bed and took a moment to contemplate. That surely wasn’t what she expected her daughter to ask about at that moment. “I’ve had my fair share of rejections. I know, hard to believe with great hair like mine.” She gestured time the wild-looking bun on top of her head.

“What do you do after?”

“I appreciate the time that they gave me, then I let them go. It’s not right to dwell on what will never be.” Sonia could tell by the heartbroken look on her daughter’s face that she would have rather been lied to in that moment than given the truth. Sonia didn’t think lying to her daughter right now would help her grow. “Raymona, dear, your first love is just that. Your first, not your only. If I had stayed with my first love forever, I wouldn’t have met your father. I wouldn’t have you and Jayden. I would have never married Marcus and gotten to help raise Danny. I’m lucky to have fallen in an out of love to end up where I am.”

She stood from the bed and tucked her daughter in. “Now, get some rest because you are going to school tomorrow.”

“Night,” Ray said back. As she turned on her side, her eyes landed on the picture frame of her and the boys on her nightstand. She reached out and faced it down. It didn’t help her feel any better.

Sonia watched her daughter from the doorway with a frown. While shutting the door, she quickly added, “You better not be talking about Stiles. I will not hesitate to call his father.”

“Mom! Oh my god,” Ray groaned and pulled the covers over her head to hideaway.

“You can't say I didn't warn you about that one. He's only trouble."

Once upon a time, Stiles Stilinski was trouble, but up until high school, Ray had a hand in all that trouble. When Sonia started punishing her daughter for all the things she and the boys got into, Ray started to realize she would rather not be grounded. Grounded meant no iPod, no sleepovers with Gabby, no fun. Stiles continued his pattern of, _hey let’s do this thing my dad said not to do_. Ray would say she didn’t want to do something but end up doing it anyway for the sake of hanging out with him and Scott. They would get caught. Her mother would get mad, until one day at the end of eighth grade, Ray said something that would change everything.

_“It was Stiles's idea! I told him not to!”_

Then times after that her mother would ask, _“Was this Stiles’s doing?”_ And it usually was, so Ray would say yes. Saying yes meant less of a punishment.

Now that was the consensus in their household. Stiles=Troublemaker. Scott and Ray=Good Kids Who Try To Keep Their Friend Out Of Trouble. And maybe at one point that was their dynamic and that was the truth. Ever since Scott was bit by Peter, the trouble they got into was because of supernatural circumstances. Most of the time, Stiles was plotting ways to get them out of trouble or even out of imminent danger.

But for Ray to explain all the to her mother would be reversing years of perspective, changing everything she thought about the boy. Ray didn’t know how to go about that.

Her mother wasn’t the only family member she didn’t know how to act around. Danny has been giving her the cold shoulder if they ran into each other in the kitchen. He would do his best to act normal in front of their parents, but rides to school were awkwardly quiet. Ray wanted to give him the information he was so clearly asking for, but she couldn’t, not after how everything with Lydia went down. She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else at the moment.

That’s why Ray spent the first few school days back from spring break following Isaac Lahey around like a lost puppy. He was the only one who seemed to pay any attention to her besides Erica who’s attention mostly consisted of eye rolls and lines like, “Why is she having lunch with us?”

Which was still more than Ray was getting from any of her own friends. Except for Gabby, of course. Gabby was so wonderful and kind enough to keep asking what was wrong. Ray wished Gabby was a bad friend and that she would just stop realizing something was wrong. There was no way Ray could explain everything to Gabby. She learned the hard way that that’s exactly how you lose friends.

So Ray avoided Gabby like the plague. Isaac was the perfect friend to hang out with because he didn’t have to ask what was wrong, he just knew. No doubt Derek had given all of his betas a play by play of that night at the station. Which was probably also why they allowed her to tag along with them in the first place. There was a silent mutual understanding that they were all dealing with the same shit. But, that hospitality couldn’t last forever.

“Isaac, when are you gonna push the baby bird out of the nest and make her fly back to her real friends?” Erica said at the lunch table Wednesday. The first day dealing with Ray’s depressing attitude was tolerable. The second day was annoying. Now Erica just desperately wanted her to leave so that things could go back to normal.

“I think we are her real friends at this point,” Boyd added. “Which is sad by the way.” He had to say the last part to make sure he didn’t come off as too open and nice.

“Hey,” Isaac was feigning a defensive tone, but the playful smirk on his lips let the others know he was never too serious, “Our pack was built on misfits, and Ray here is the biggest misfit of us all. She isn’t even the right breed of weird.”

“Gee, thanks for the warm welcome,” Ray mumbled.

Erica hummed then asked, “That reminds me, what is it like being a siren?”

Though Erica’s tone didn’t sound hostile, Ray still took offense to the word and felt the need to correct her, “Sea nymph.”

“Whatever. Derek says they’re the same thing.”

“Well, Derek can kiss my ass.”

Boyd snorted at that. Erica looked at him like he was crazy. He shrugged and said, “What? She’s funny.”

“Guys,” Isaac said, sounding panicked. The group turned to see what he was seeing.

A girl with perfectly curled strawberry blonde hair strutted toward them from the popular table across the cafeteria. Lydia Martin looked oddly stiff in professional in her approach to their table of misfits. One could hear a pin drop from how silent the cafeteria got. She had their full attention. Everyone wanted to know why the most popular girl in school was talking to a group of losers who wore matching leather jackets.

“Ray, Ali wants you at the funeral tomorrow, she’s just too stubborn to say it. It’s after school. You’re riding with me and my mom. Feel free to bring yours.”

Then as quick as she came, Lydia turned in her expensive heels and left back to the popular table where Danny was pretending he didn’t know Ray. Allison hadn’t been at school all week. Ray didn’t even know if the girl was coming back to school at all. How long did it take to get over the death of your mother? Surely that stayed with you for life.

“Are you really going to that?” Erica asked genuinely, dropping the bitchy attitude for once.

“If Ali wants me there then of course.”

“She attacked you guys at the police station,” Erica reminded her.

“She attacked Derek,” Ray specified. It felt a little odd coming to Allison's defense, but Ray didn't want to believe her new friend would have gone into that station with preconceived notions to hurt Ray and Scott. A few weeks ago, Ray might not have been totally against going after Derek Hale. If his pack had done something to Lydia that night they attacked Scott’s house, Ray might even of gone after Derek herself. It wasn't easy to paint Allison as a villain, not when her mom's death was the cause of her actions.

Things were changing though. Derek had not only saved Ray twice at the police station, but he also saved Scott’s life at the rave. The world of enemies and allies didn’t seem so black and white. Ray no longer knew where she stood with Derek and his pack, especially now that the unlikely friendship between her and Isaac Lahey had grown exponentially over the last few days.

Even Allison seemed. . Grey. A girl who was once new and innocent now felt. . Dangerous and unpredictable. Although Ray often spent nights worrying about Allison’s family finding out about her and coming after her, not once did she think Allison herself would point a crossbow at her until the effects of that weird punch at Lydia’s party. It didn’t help that later that night, that fear came to fruition at the station. Ray tried to compartmentalize that fear. Allison was only after Derek. She didn’t really want to hurt Ray.

Right?

“Derek saved your sorry ass, and McCall’s,” Erica pointed out bitterly.

“You’re right,” was all Ray managed to say because of all the racing thoughts in her head.

“You should go to the funeral,” Boyd told her.

“Allison could probably use any and all support considering where she stands with Scott at the moment,” Isaac added, causing their whole table to look over where Scott was sitting and no doubt listening in to every word.

Ray frowned. Stiles wasn’t with him. Were they not talking to each other either?

Erica tapped her fork against her plate a few times before deciding to ask, “So, what happened between all you guys?”

“Erica,” Boyd said in a warning tone.

“What? It’s not like they broke up or anything. She’s worn his jacket every day this week-,” Erica’s eyes flickered to Ray to tell her, “Which reeks, by the way-”

“Erica,” Boyd chastised again.

“She’s not wrong,” Isaac said in her defense. “Stiles does stink.”

Ray tried to be subtle and sniff the jacket. It smelled like Stiles, totally, but it didn’t smell bad. She had worn it every day that week because it made her feel like he was still with her somehow. And she was also hoping he would see it and break their silence to ask for it back.

“I just want to know why they aren’t all talking. Stiles was being all weird about it and wouldn’t say anything when I asked him,” Erica said with a casual shrug. “So what? I’m being nosy. I’ll admit it.”

Ray’s immediate reaction was, “You talked to Stiles? What did he say?”

Erica rolled her eyes. “I just said he won’t tell me anything. Do you even listen when I talk or does your brain short circuit when you hear his name?”

The two boys at the table snickered at the exchange. Ray wished in that moment that she could replace the three werewolves with Gabby, Lydia, and Allison. It wasn’t because Ray was embarrassed, it was because she wanted to be honest. She wanted to tell her three best girl friends all about the kiss and ask for advice about what to do next. Ray definitely wasn’t going to admit to kissing Stiles in front of Isaac and Boyd. Even if she felt like she could reach out to Erica and be honest, girl to girl, Ray didn’t think Erica would provide any sort of advice or comfort on the situation.

“Nothing happened. We’re all just dealing with Matt and Allison’s mom in our own ways.” And as the words left her mouth, Ray finally realized the true effect of everything.

Allison’s mom died. This much, Ray knew already. She was working through the complexity and felt horrible for Allison, but there was one connection Ray had forgotten to make.

 _Claudia_.

If Ray had previously felt like she was in the middle of the ocean on a broken board, now it felt like the waves from a storm had knocked her off the board and pulled her under. She wanted to fight and swim to the surface, but maybe that was nature's way of giving her what she deserved. To drown. It wasn’t like she had been a good friend lately to anyone. Why would someone come to save her from her own thoughts? Maybe she wasn’t pushed under from the waves. Maybe she jumped in and let herself sink.

Isaac nudged her, bringing her back to the lunch table where the others at the table were looking at her with concern. Still, somehow Ray felt like they weren’t really looking at her, only what little amount of herself she chose to let these newfound friends see.

“You want me to talk to Scott for you?” Isaac offered.

“No, no. We just need time.”

Victoria Argent’s funeral was depressing.

Every funeral is depressing. That’s the point. People go to them to cry it all out and say their goodbyes. Ray had been to a couple of funerals before. The one she couldn’t help but compare this funeral to had been so beautiful.

The entire town had shown up for Claudia. Every florist within a thirty-mile radius of the town had been ordered from. No two bouquets were the same since everyone had just bought what they thought was beautiful. The church felt more like a grove in a fairytale. Her entire place of work had attended. The entire station and their families attended. All of Stiles’s friends and their families attended. The church was so full, Ray remembered looking back and seeing people standing along the back wall.

With it being an Argent funeral, Ray expected Gerard and a few hunters to attend. That’s all who attended. Not a single member of Victoria’s side was there. Not a single friend from San Francisco. No one. There were a few bouquets of white lilies surrounding the casket. Not a single pop of color dared to be in the room.

Lydia and Ray had both brought their mothers with them for support. They sat in the row behind Allison. Ray hugged her after it was all said and done. Allison didn’t say a word. Ray hadn’t expected her to.

When they were driving home, Lydia and Ray sat in the backseat, not really knowing what to say to each other.

Lydia tilted her head slightly then asked, “Was that normal?” She hadn’t been to many funerals, and that wasn’t like how they were in movies.

Lydia’s mother winced and looked over her shoulder. “Honestly, honey, not really.”

“They only just moved here,” Ray’s mother tried to explain. “Maybe her other family and friends lived too far to attend.”

Maybe that was the case. All Ray could do was hope.

Lydia didn’t ignore Ray at school the next day. Finally, the rally Lydia had been planning was among them. Ray liked to think that was the reason they were talking again and not that they had trauma bonded over being was the saddest funeral ever.

Either way, Lydia seemed determined to put the past behind her. She was ecstatic for the championship game that would be going on Saturday. Posters had already been made, decorating every inch of the halls, but Lydia wanted Ray to come over and make more Saturday afternoon, even extending the offer to Gabby. A whole afternoon with Lydia, Gabby and spray paint sounded like a death wish, but Ray accepted the offer. She needed something good to look forward to.

Down the hall, Stiles was opening his locker. A tower of books and papers flew out into his arms as he opened the door. His footing nearly faltered as he caught it all. Ray’s lips tugged into a small smile as she watched him. He seemed more like himself than he had all week.

Lydia scoffed and shook her head. She slammed her locker shut, making Ray jump and come out of her daydream.

“Just go talk to him,” Lydia said like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“I can’t,” Ray whined. Her heart began to race.

They still hadn’t talked about the kiss at all. Actually, they hadn’t talked much all week. After that first night Ray called out to Scotty on the roof, she was scared to make any other moves with anyone in their friend group. Besides, if he and Scott still weren't talking, why would he talk to her? Putting herself out there again was like asking her to jump off a cliff without knowing what was below.

Would her friends catch her? She wanted to believe they would, but she was sure she deserved it.

Ray hadn’t told anyone about the kiss because she was afraid Stiles regretted it. Why hadn’t he said anything to her? Maybe he didn’t like her all along and their friends were just pressuring him to take her on dates. Or. . Maybe those weren’t even dates. Maybe he was joking about it just to get under her skin.

“What’s so special about him, anyway?” Lydia wondered. A piece of strawberry blonde hair twirling around her finger.

What wasn’t special about Stiles Stilinski? Ray smiled as she answered, “His smile, his eyes, his curiosity, the way he talks with his hands, his hands like in general, his-“

“Please, for the love of all things holy, stop.” Lydia looked like she was about to be sick. “I meant what _is_ he. Like, is he a werewolf like half this town seems to be or-something else, or is he like you?”

“Oh,” Ray’s face suddenly felt very warm. “He uh, he’s human.”

“Then why the hell is he so. . _weird_?”

Stiles was currently beating a rhythm on his textbook that no doubt went in sync perfectly with some big concert performance going on in his head. It was surprising the textbook was balancing so well on the pile of miss-matched things in his locker.

“He’s always been weird,” Ray said in his defense, though she quickly added, “Well, not weird. He’s just- Stiles.”

“Let me get this straight-,” Lydia adjusted the strap to the designer purse she used as a school bag, “-You still have that giant crush on him, right?”

“Of course.” Lying to Lydia Martin, the smartest person in Beacon Hills, would have been pointless. Besides, Ray felt like everyone in the halls knew exactly how she felt at this point. She couldn’t count the number of people that had caught her staring at him during classes this week.

“Why don’t you just ask to wear his extra jersey to the game tomorrow night?”

“Because. .,” Ray trailed off. She didn’t have a reason other than she just couldn’t pull herself to do it. “Because what if he says no and then everything gets awkward and I lose him as a friend and -Lydia, where are you going?” Ray chased after her friend who was walking directly toward the boy they had been talking about. “Lydia, don’t-“

“Hey, Stiles!” Lydia said cheerfully.

Stiles seemed surprised someone was talking to him. He awkwardly waved at the girl and said hello back. When Lydia stopped next to him, Ray ducked her head and tried to keep going past them. Lydia dug her manicured nails into Ray’s wrist and tugged her back to stand right in front of Stiles.

“Raymona here just wanted to ask you a quick question. See you at the rally, Ray!” Lydia turned around and disappeared around a corner.

Ray knew her whole face had to be tomato red. She took a deep breath as she clutched onto her necklace. Her voice wavered slightly, “So, uh- The Mets playin’ tonight?”

“Yeah, against the Nats. . Is that what you wanted to ask me?” His honey eyes looked so wide and hopeful.

She shook her head and looked down at her feet. It was too hard to look him in the eyes when she asked, “Do you hate me?”

“Why the hell would I hate you?”

A brief wave of confidence let her look up to meet his eyes. It was unfair how perfect his lashes looked. His eyebrows scrunched together in concern, probably because Ray looked like she was about to start crying or hyperventilating or both.

“Because-,” The confidence had vanished. Ray didn’t know what to do with her hands which were itching to fidget with something. She opted for pulling at the frayed seams of her shoulder bag then forced the words out, “BecauseIkissedyou.”

The boy’s cheeks turned bright red. “Definitely don’t hate you because of that. And, for the record, I kissed you.”

Some weight lifted from Ray’s shoulders. “Then. . Why have you been distant all week? Do you not like me back? Because we can just like-forget that ever happened.”

Stiles blinked a few times. “Do you want to forget it happened?”

No, Ray did not. If she had it her way, she’d kiss him right then and there in the hallway. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Her focus turned to the inside of Stiles’s locker. The way he had everything piled looked like a death trap. She frowned when she noticed a familiar leather-bound book.

“That’s my sketchbook.”

“Oh!” Stiles struggled to pull it from the pile. “You left it a couple days ago in math. Forgot I saved it for you. . I didn’t go through it or anything!”

She held the book close to her chest and silently prayed he was telling the truth. She asked, “So the kiss was okay?”

He cleared his throat then went on a nervous spiel, “Better than okay. Great. Amazing. 11/10 would do it again. Yes.”

“Do you want to sit together at the rally?”

“Most definitely,” he said as he let out a breath he had been holding.

Okay, that was easy. Ray dared to add on, “Do you want to watch the Mets game at your place after school?”

“Just us?” He clarified.

She flinched. “Don’t say just us. Every time one of us says "just us", we went up getting dragged on some supernatural mission, and it never ends up being just us. I think those words are cursed.”

“How’s this-,” Stiles closed his locker then turned to her to say, “I would love to watch the game with you and only you.”

“Sounds like a date,” Ray said with a smile.

“A d- How come- Why is this a date but none of the dates I planned are allowed to be considered dates?!”

“Because I’m establishing ahead of time that it’s a date and not telling you after the fact.” Ray playfully hit Stiles’s shoulder with her sketchbook. “See how that works?”

“You proclaimed it a date after I already agreed,” Stiles pointed out.

“You’re right. . Never mind then. Let’s not hang out.” Ray’s hair flicked gracefully over her shoulder as she turned to walk toward the rally at the gym.

“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Stiles hurried to run in front of the girl to stop her.

She couldn’t help the smirk on her face. “What do you want, Stilinski?”

He spoke quickly, “Do you want to go on a date with me to my living room to watch the Mets lose?”

“Hmm,” she pretended to think while tapping her finger in her lips. “It depends. . Are we gonna stop by the gas station and buy snacks first?”

“Pft. That’s a given.”

“In that case, I can’t wait to watch the Mets lose.”

The bubbling feeling in her stomach seemed a little dramatic. Ray had been to Stiles’s house a million times. Sure, most of those times involved Scott, but lately she had been there alone. This shouldn’t be any different, except, it totally was. All Ray could think about was the time they cuddled on the couch then never spoke about again. Would today be like that? Ray hoped so. Not the not speaking about it, but the cuddling. The cuddling was a must.

Oh, but of course the universe never seemed to be working in her favor. The town sheriff, Noah Stilinski, was relaxing in his favorite arm chair with the game playing on the big living room TV. He smiled at the teens, completely unaware that his presence was like pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads.

“Hey you two. How was. . .-,” his voice trailed off for a second as his eyes landed on the familiar jacket Ray was sporting, “-school?” Ray’s arms instinctively wrapped around her middle as if that was going to cover up the fact she was wearing his son’s hoodie.

“Hey, Daddy-o,” Stiles said awkwardly. “School was great! Lots of homework though. Ray came over to work on some of it and watch the game.”

It was Friday. Ray had not brought a single textbook with her. Her book bag was lighter than air. In fact, the only things she kept in it were snacks for their date. Though her hope for that still happening was dwindling by the second.

“Well, come and join me!” Noah offered. “They’re in the second inning. No runs yet.”

By the sixth inning, Stiles was starting to get fidgety on the other end of the couch. Ray checked the time on her phone then asked, “Hey, Stiles, wanna go research for that history assignment?”

The boy stared at her with a blank confusion for far too long to have not been noticed by his dad. Stiles was probably trying to figure out what the hell Ray was talking about since they didn’t even have history homework that weekend, let alone something major enough to research for. It wasn’t until Ray stood up from the couch to stretch that Stiles finally took the hint.

“Yes! We should totally get started on that,” he agreed.

“Have you decided which ancient civilization you want to write about yet?” Ray added to the lie, hoping to fool the county Sheriff.

“Is that even a question? Egypt, duh.”

“I was thinking Indus Valley for mine. .”

“Stiles,” his father called to him as the kids headed for the stairs, “Door open.”

The teens looked at each other, a slight panic on both their faces. That had never been a rule in the Stilinski household before, and the implications behind it made Ray’s heart race. The look on her face must have been very telling and utterly guilty because Stiles put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around, out of his dad’s line of sight.

“Uh, yeah, Dad. ‘Course.” As soon as the teens got up to the boy’s room, he shut the door and said, “Okay, this is officially not a date.”

“I don’t mind still hanging out as long as no actual homework is involved,” the girl responded casually.

Ray’s book bag was tossed lazily near the foot of the boy’s bed. She couldn’t disagree with his cancellation of their date. Their plans had once again been interrupted, it just happened to not be the supernatural doing it this time. Her sneakers and jacket joined the pile of stuff on the floor before she climbed onto Stiles’s bed and got comfy sitting against the headboard. Stiles was still stuck leaning against the door, looking as if his mind was running a marathon.

“Hang out,” Stiles whispered dreamily.

“Yes,” Ray confirmed. “You know, chill. Relax. Like we do with Scott.”

“Right, no yeah. Of course. We do that. We chill and relax all the time.”

“Stiles, can you maybe start by _chilling_ and then bringing your laptop over here so we can watch a movie?”

“Yes,” he said as he fumbled to unhook said laptop from it’s charging cable. Ray got under the covers while he climbed onto the bed. His eyes went wide as she covered herself, as if wanting to be warm was some taboo thing.

In her mind, she was just getting comfortable. Knowing Stiles, watching one movie on his laptop would probably turn into watching the whole Star Wars series. She held up the covers, offering Stiles to join her underneath them. It wasn’t until she noticed his pink cheeks that she started to get nervous herself.

Oh no.

Was getting under the covers some kind of social cue that she was unaware of? Her experiences with boys in a non platonic manner consisted of Eddie Weaver’s unprompted kiss in front of the entire lacrosse team, that one time she cuddled on the couch with Stiles, and their recent kiss, or technically kisses, behind the jeep. Ray grew up close with Scott and Stiles. Not once growing up had she ever thought their closeness was crossing a line. She and the boys shared a bed during sleepovers until middle school, and the main reason they stopped was because they stopped all fitting in Scott’s bed. Unless they slept on it sideways, which they did so once. Their feet had hung off the bed which made it very hard to sleep.

With three inches of space between them, it felt like any shift brought the question, is this crossing the line? But also, isn’t that what she wanted to do? Finally she was alone with him again. His hands were typing away to find an illegal streaming site. If she wanted to, she could reach out and hold one. What was stopping her?

The bedroom door whooshed open, causing both teens to hold their breath.

“Stiles, I said door open.” The sheriff looked at them both sternly, clearly seeing that they had the covers over their laps. Ray felt like she was some sort of criminal getting caught in the act. Part of her actually feared Noah was going to drag her out of his son’s room and put her in jail. He could do that. He was the freaking sheriff.

To make matter’s worse, there was a questionable anime pop up from the illegal streaming site on the screen. Thankfully, his dad couldn’t see it from where he leaned against the door frame. Stiles was trying frantically to click out of it while saying, “Right, Dad. Sorry. Not, uh- used to that new rule yet. Won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” his dad said before walking down the hall to his own bedroom.

Something came over Ray and suddenly she was giggling and couldn’t stop. Stiles had his head in his hands out of embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow at her odd reaction.

“Sorry,” she managed out, “Sorry, sorry. It’s just- how was Scott McCall, the biggest nerd out of all of us, managing to sneak around with his girlfriend while we can’t even watch a movie without getting caught.”

“What I want to know is, how the hell is my dad even onto us? Since when has he ever made us keep the door open? Why now?”

Ray winced, not liking that she had to admit, “Yeah that’s kinda my fault. I was wearing your jacket when we got here and he definitely noticed.”

Everything seemed to click on Stiles’s head. “Oh. . well shit.” His eyes landed on the jacket piled on top of her other things. “Am I ever gonna get that back by the way?”

Ray smiled. She had been waiting all week for him to ask that.

“No.”

“Wh-ah-what do you mean no?”

“Well since you ignored me all week, now I’m keeping it as compensation.” And because she was now emotionally connected to it.

“I was not ignoring you-,” Stiles winced at his own lie. He immediately back peddled. “Okay, honestly I didn’t mean to ignore you specifically. I was kind of avoiding everyone. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Scott had to do the same thing. We all. . deal with things in different ways, which reminds me.” Ray nearly whispered the last part, “Are you okay?”

Stiles blinked a few times, clearly blindsided by her question. “Why would you ask me that?”

Was he really going to make her say it outright? She didn’t want to be blunt about it. Her hand found his and locked their fingers together. His lips parted in surprise, and he was again blinking at her in wonder.

“Allison’s mom died,” Ray said, hoping that would be enough of a hint for him to know what she was getting at.

He seemed to connect the dots because his eyes shifted to the laptop out of discomfort, not able to look at her directly. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to be.” Her hand squeezed his.

His free hand swiped over his buzzed hair nervously. “Honestly, yeah, okay, it did bring up some stuff, but I dealt with it. I even had a meeting with the guidance counselor, as lame as that sounds-“

“That’s not lame,” Ray told him.

He finally looked at her again. “I am sorry for ignoring you. I know you would have listened, I just- didn’t know how to talk to you after. .” His eyes flickered to her lips.

“But you can talk to me know, right?”

“Yes, no yeah. I can. I’m not bullshitting you. I’m actually a lot better after talking to Mrs. Morell.”

“She does seem really cool. I hate French class, but I do like her as a person.”

Stiles pressed play on the movie. Ray let him have his hand back so that he could adjust the pillows against the headboard. When he finally settled in, she scooted closer to him, getting rid of that three inches of space.

“Wait,” she said, sitting up quickly. “The snacks!”

The next afternoon, Ray was in the Martin’s backyard with Lydia and Gabby to make posters. A fancy speaker was playing music from Lydia’s iPod. Lydia’s mom has made them ice tea. Gabby had spray painted the front of Ray’s worn t-shirt. Everyone was having a great time.

That is, until Lydia asked Ray a question.

“So, you wearing his jersey tonight?”

Gabby’s eyes went wide, “Are you and Stiles finally official.”

“No, and no,” Ray said firmly, hoping they would drop it.

Lydia took a step back to examine the full picture of her poster. She hummed then said, “This isn’t gonna work.”

“I think it looks nice,” Ray told her.

“Not the poster,” Lydia said. “I won’t let you throw away this opportunity.”

“That’s a little dramatic. Gabby, don’t you think that’s dramatic?”

Asking Gabby for her opinion bit Ray in the ass, “Girl, you’ve thrown away every opportunity to be with that boy since middle school. Everyone always asks me if you guys are dating anyway. Just wear his damn jersey.”

Lydia out her hands on her hips and said, “You see? You act like I’m crazy for helping you two get together.”

“What does it matter if I wear his jersey? We hung out last night. That was enough.”

Both girls had her full attention now. They were each sporting giant, mischievous smiles. Gabby asked, “Did you guys, you know. . .”

“Have sex?” Lydia finished bluntly.

“No! Oh my god. We just watched a movie. His dad has this new door open policy apparently, so like, definitely no sex. Ever.”

“Ever?” Gabby asked.

Ray hated how warm her cheeks got. “Well, maybe- you know what? No. We aren’t ganging up on me today! Today is make posters and have fun day.”

“No,” Lydia said. She held a hand out to help Gabby stand from the grass.

“No? What do you mean no?”

“I mean, that’s no longer what we are doing today. Come on, Gabby.”

Gabby followed the redhead to the garage. Ray had no choice but to follow them to see what they were up to. Lydia unlocked her car and got in, motioning for the other girls to do the same. Ray got in the backseat, feeling horrible. Was Lydia taking her home just because Ray didn’t want to talk about Stiles?

The car turned down a familiar street. Ray debated jumping out of it. Gabby giggled in the front seat.

“No, Lydia, no. Where are you taking me?”

“Ray, my dear,” Lydia said as she parked her car behind a powder blue jeep. “Go get that jersey.”

Ray reached for the door handle then retreated. She licked her lips and took a breath. Why was her heart beating so fast?

“I can’t.”

“I will honk this horn.”

“Oh my god! Okay. Fine!” Ray got out of the car. Once she got to the front door she turned around. Her two friends were smiling wide at her, giving her a thumbs up. Ray rang the doorbell then waited.

And waited.

She looked back at Lydia’s car and threw her hands up in defeat. Gabby yelled out the window, “Ring it again! We drove all the way here!”

Ray huffed in annoyance. The ride had only taken like, three minutes tops. Still, she rang the doorbell, not as nervous this time since clearly no one was home. Just as she was going to turn and walk down the front steps, the door swung open. Her knees almost gave out.

Stiles stood in the doorway wearing only gym shorts and a towel resting on his shoulders that he was using to dry his hair. When his eyes landed on Ray, he stopped drying himself and just stared in shock.

“Ray,” he managed out.

“You’re home,” she whispered in fear.

“Did you ring my doorbell twice and expect me not to answer?”

Lydia’s car honked twice. Gabby yelled out the window, “Hi, Stiles!” while Lydia whistled.

“Oh, god,” Ray face palmed.

Stiles awkwardly waved to the girls in the car then asked Ray, “Did you want to come inside?”

“Please, yes. Thank you.” She was glad to get out of her friends’ line of sight so that they could no longer embarrass her.

There was a pile of water on the floor where he had been standing. Ray carefully stepped over it.

“Sorry,” he mumbled and threw the towel down to dry the spot as the front door shut. “I was in the shower.”

“I see that. I mean, I- you, uhm.” Ray cleared her throat and stared at the ground.

“Did you forget something here yesterday?” Stiles assumed. Ray followed him up the stairs to his room. He threw the towel in his hamper then grabbed a shirt to throw on. Once he was finally clothed he asked the girl, “Earth to Ray? You there?”

“I did forget something,” she finally said.

Stiles looked around his room. Nothing seemed out of place. “You’re gonna have to elaborate so that I can’t help. . .”

“I’m just gonna say it.”

“That’s great because I don’t know sign language and I’m shit at charades.” When the girl didn’t smile at his joke, Stiles started to get nervous. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes! Of course!” Ray said quickly. “I just- I was wondering. . .”

“Wondering is a good first step. Maybe one day you’ll be able to think critically.” The boy couldn’t help himself. The tension in the room felt so awkward, he had to break it with sarcasm.

“Can I wear your extra jersey tonight?” She blurted out.

His eyes went comically wide. “You. . want to wear- my- my jersey to the game.”

“If not, that’s fine!” It wasn’t like Ray was his girlfriend. Wearing his last name at the championship game for the entire town to see was asking a lot from him.

“No-“

“Oh, okay-“ Ray looked down at the floor out of embarrassment. “Yeah. I get it.”

“Wait, no, I mean- I mean yes. No as in, I don’t not want you to-shit.” Stiles started fumbling through his drawers until he found his white away jersey. As he handed it to the girl they made brief eye contact. Both had a stark blush on their cheeks.

The material felt cold on her fingers. She bit her lip then said, “So, I can wear it?”

“Yes, sorry. It’s just, no one has ever asked before.”

They were both new to this then because Ray had also never worn anyone’s jersey. To break the awkward tension between them, Ray decided to joke like Stiles had attempted earlier.

“You mean, other girls aren’t dying to wear the jersey of the guy who plays left bench?” She tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t hold back her smile.

Stiles put his hands on his hips. “Oh! So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Alright, you know what? Give it back-“ He reached for the jersey. Ray held it out of his reach. When he stepped closer, Ray jumped back then starting backing toward the door. Both were smiling like idiots. Stiles reached for the jersey again, getting closer this time. Ray laughed as she ducked out of his way.

Her footing nearly slipped. She looked down at her feet, glancing briefly at the chip in the paint on his doorframe. Had the sheriff noticed that yet? He must not have if he hadn’t patched it. Ray’s step dad would have had it painted over in five minutes. Her mom hated when one of the teens scuffed the walls rough housing.

“How am I faster than you? Aren’t you the star athlete?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, challenging him to chase her. She sprinted down the staircase. He cursed to himself then ran after her.

“Raymona, I swear to _god_ -“

“Oh no! Not the full name!” She teased. The two ran circles around the living room. Ray yelped as Stiles threw a couch pillow at her. “I know they’re called _throw_ pillows, but I think you’re taking things too literally, Stilinski.”

Stopping briefly to land that witty comment had given Stiles time to catch up with her. He stole the jersey back then held it above his head, way out of her reach. Every time she jumped for it, he moved it just enough to keep her at bay.

She pouted like a child. “Stiles!”

“Raymona!”

“Quit using my full name, Mie-“

His lips crashed down onto her’s. As soon as they touched, he instantly pulled back, wearing a proud smirk from being able to shut her up. Ray’s eyes were wide with shock. Stiles let down his guard and dropped his arm to his side. There was a faint blush on his cheeks from what he’d done.

If she went for the jersey straight out, he’d just hold it out of her reach again. She had to outsmart him, which wouldn’t be easy. Stiles’s dad taught Stiles chess at a very young age. The boy learned to always be a few steps ahead, a dangerous trait for a young boy to have when he was also as mischievous as Stiles tended to be.

Her hand lightly brushed his cheek. The boy got all flustered as she leaned in to whisper, “Thank you for letting me wear your jersey.”

Stiles scoffed. “I’m definitely not letting you wear it now, purely out of spite.” Ray kissed the boy’s cheek, then his jaw, then a third one on his neck. Her hands trailed up his sides to his shoulders. He squirmed then managed to say, “This-ah- this isn’t going to work.” Her light kisses on his neck gradually got less playful and far more intense. He didn’t notice how Ray’s hands were trailing down his arms until the jersey was taken right from his hand. She bolted around him and ran to the front door, laughing.

“Thanks again, Stilinski!”

“You cheated!”

He went after her again, but it was too late. She was out the door yelling, “Start the car!” to her friends who were in shock at how fast she was running toward them.

“Did you _steal_ the jersey?!” Lydia shrieked as she sped off.

“Badass!” Gabby said, giving Ray a high five.

“Thanks, Gabs.”

“Ray,” Lydia chastised, “Did you at least make plans to give it back to him after?”

“I. . did not. . Was I supposed to?”

“Oh god,” Gabby mumbled. “You are really hopeless, you know what? It’s the perfect excuse to meet up with him after the game!”

Lydia added, “And then when it’s time to give it back, you just take it off-“

Gabby hummed in agreement. “I did that with Fletcher and he nearly passed out.”

A tight knot was twisting up in Ray’s stomach. She didn’t know if she was ready to just- take her shirt off in front of Stiles like that. Thankfully, Lydia drove fast and was already parking outside of Ray’s home so the conversation would end.

“Don’t forget your match your underwear to your bra,” Lydia said to Ray.

“Oh, and wear gloss, not lipstick,” Gabby advised. “It’ll stain everything and smear and just-yeah just go for gloss.”

“Gloss and matching underwear, got it,” Ray said firmly. Before she opened the car door, she noticed her neighbor, Scott McCall, waving to them from his porch. He stepped down and started walking toward Lydia’s car with a big smile on his face. “No! Not now!” Ray shoved the jersey up under her shirt and cursed under her breath.

Of course, _now_ just had to be the moment Scott wants to chat with her and make up. Ray felt bad, but she really couldn’t handle explaining to Scott why she had their best friend’s extra jersey right now. She said goodbye to the girls then dashed out of the car and sprinted straight for her house. Scott’s shoulders slumped as she ran by him, not even acknowledging him.

A sweat had broken out on her forehead from how fast she ran up to her room. Ray threw the jersey onto her desk then glared at it. If she couldn’t even walk past her neighbor holding it, how the hell was she going to have enough courage to wear it tonight at the game? Ray fell onto her bed backwards and stared at her blank ceiling. She briefly wondered if her mom would let her paint something up there.

A song she hadn’t heard in years started blasting from somewhere outside. It was one she used to listen to all the time as a kid, but ever since her mother started the “no Spanish around Marcus and Danny” rule, Ray had stopped listening. Her curiosity led her to the window to see who in their neighborhood would be playing such a thing.

Scott McCall was peaking his head out his window, which happened to be where the sound was coming from. He gave Ray a cheesy smile. She tilted her head in confusion.

“What the hell are you listening to, McCall?”

“I’m sorry for being a jerk all week,” he yelled over the music. The lyrics started. He smiled wider. “Come dance with me.”

Ray glanced back into her room, half expecting her mother to be standing at her door to tell her off. Her door was shut. No mother in sight.

One dance wouldn’t hurt.

The girl climbed over to her neighbor’s roof then tumbled into his room. The song was half over by now. She was surprised they both still know the lyrics. Selena didn’t seem like something Scott would listen to on his own.

“Baila, baila esta cumbia, un ritmo, ritmo sin igual,” Scott sang while he shook his hips. Ray held her stomach from how had she was laughing. He really couldn’t dance. They spun around the room, Scott nearly ran into one of his shelves and Ray knocked over his desk chair.

This was their favorite song to dance to as kids.

Years of friendship were bound to have bumps in the road. Everything that happened at the station felt like a road block. Her and Scott would get around it. They’d take the longest detour if necessary. Neither of them were giving up any time soon.

And they would keep dancing, even if that dancing was scary to watch and led to bruising.

After the song ended, both teens collapsed onto the floor panting from all the spinning around. The next song to play out was another dance number, but Ray’s lungs couldn’t go for another three minutes.

“I missed you this week,” Scott admitted. “I was thinking about all the fun stuff we used to do as kids. . . Remember when we used to put the sprinkler under the trampoline and try not to get wet?”

“And we would slip and fall and end up getting soaked? Yeah,” Ray said with a laugh. Once her laugh died out she asked, “Then why did you ignore me all week?”

Scott frowned and looked down at his hands in shame. “I. . I could heard you telling your mom everything that night after the station.”

“Oh.” Was it wrong for Ray to do that? Scott was already mad at her for telling Lydia.

“Guess I was just a little jealous that you had a choice. . and that you chose to tell her. My mom, she uh- she didn’t take it all too well. We still haven’t really talked about it.”

“She’ll come around. My mom didn’t take it great either. She didn’t talk to me until Sunday night, and not much since then.”

“ _God_ -,” Scott let out a breath, “-parents suck at communicating, huh?”

The two laughed and shook their heads. She wished him luck for his big game then left to get ready. The next few hours she wondered if she should have warned him about the jersey, but what would be the point? It’s not like her and Stiles were official yet. They’d talk to Scotty together once everything settled. There were more pressing matters to take care of first.

But she sure was glad to have her best friend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the dark tone at the beginning of this chapter. I was clearly, as the kids say, ~in my feels~  
> Thank you for reading every week! As always, stay safe!
> 
> THE TITLE OF THIS STORY WILL BE CHANGING TO “Current” WHEN I START SEASON 3!


	24. Totally Insane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what’s totally insane? Me for writing a 17k word chapter. Prepare yourselves! This is the season 2 finale!:D

“T-minus 5 minutes till take off!” Marcus yelled up the stairs.

Jayden hadn’t heard the announcement since he had his gaming headset on. He probably wouldn’t realize it was time to leave until his friends logged off because their parents were leaving for the game. A few of his friends were interested in lacrosse and planned on trying out next year when they become freshmen. Jayden wasn’t big on lacrosse, but he was excited to try out for the basketball team.

The eldest child, Danny was sitting on his bed frowning at his phone. He probably should have been spending his last few minutes filling up his water bottle or psyching himself up for the big game. Instead, he was stuck checking his phone over and over ever since he had texted his best friend a good luck message and didn’t receive a response. Jackson wasn’t one to show affection, but this was the championship ship game. One would think he would at least send back a, _Hell yeah dude!! Let’s win this tonight!!_ But there was nothing.

Raymona was standing in front of her vanity. The bright white jersey she was sporting was far too long. She had rolled it up in an attempt to not look like she was swimming in it. Now it looked all clunky around her hips from the bunched up fabric. She huffed in annoyance then unrolled it, letting it fall back down to its mini dress length.

Next, she tried scrunching it up and fastening it in the back with a black hair tie. She was pretty sure she had seen Gabby do that with her shirts once before. It was definitely better than rolling it up. Now part of her mid-drift was showing. Her mother would never let her leave the house like that, and Ray didn’t want to anyway. Lacrosse games always felt freezing sitting in those stiff metal bleachers. Ray didn’t want any exposed skin.

Her last and final option was wearing her school hoodie under the jersey. This option worked great! The giant jersey didn’t look baggy over the thick sweater, she was able to wear her hood to keep warm, and she had a pocket under the jersey that would probably be extra warm to put her hands in when the bitter night air became unbearable halfway through the first quarter.

As she stepped out onto the front porch, Ray felt confident. She had her favorite lipgloss in her pocket for good luck, Lydia was meeting her and Gabby at the game with the posters they made, Danny had told her this would be an easy win since they beat the opposing team already once this year. For once, Beacon Hills was about to have something good happen for this town, and everyone was going to be there to see it.

“Raymona!” Her mother shouted from the doorway behind her. Ray flinched, knowing this was the moment of truth she had been dreading. Her mother had just seen the last name printed on the jersey she was wearing. The girl had hoped her hood covered it up enough to be unreadable, but her mother probably had all the players numbers memorized at that point anyway. This was her stepbrother’s third year in the team.

Ray slowly turned around to face her mother’s wrath. Sonia instantly asked, “You aren’t dating that boy, are you?”

“They’re not dating,” Danny said, surprising both women as he brushed past them to get to the minivan. “If they were, I would have heard about it. Stiles never shuts up.”

Marcus put his hands comfortingly on his wife’s shoulders. “Sonia, darling, they’re just friends. Didn’t you wear your friend’s jerseys in high school? She’s just showing a bit of school spirit, aren’t cha, Ray?”

“Yeah! See? It’s the championship. I just wanted to dress up. You know, some of that Cyclones pride!” Ray pumped her fist in the air for good measure.

Every family member was watching Sonia, waiting with anticipation to see her reaction. She let out a heavy sigh. “Fine! Fine, just- if you guys go out celebrating after the game I want you in a _group_! And you come home when Scott comes home!”

“Of course, Mom!”

The flimsy metal bleachers had never been so packed. Coach Finstock had even made the team carry a few extra sets of bleachers all the way from the baseball and soccer fields, and yet there was still not an inch of space between spectators. Lucky for Ray, her family had gotten there early since Danny had to meet with the team in the locker room thirty minutes before the game. She was almost hesitant to go visit Scott and Stiles on the bench to wish them one last good luck in fear of losing her spot.

If it came down to it, Ray could always keep Stiles company on the team’s bench! Coach probably wouldn’t mind or even notice. After telling her younger brother Jayden to save her spot, Ray shuffled over to the edge of the bleachers and jumped down into the patchy grass.

Even though winter was long gone, the night air was still cold enough to show her breath. The boys were talking intensely, not at all paying attention to who was walking by and listening in. The rickety wooden team bench creaked as she sat on it. Stiles nearly fell off the bench out of shock from someone coming to sit next to him. Scott started to laugh until his eyes landed on the girl’s attire. He smirked.

“Ray!” Stiles blurted. “God, you gotta stop coming up behind me-,” he held a hand over his chest, “I’m gonna have a heart attack one of these days. What are you gonna do then, huh?”

“I took a First Aid and CPR class, so I’d probably keep you alive until the medics come.” She casually shrugged.

“Wonder what brings you down here, Ray,” Scott teased. His eyes flickered between the two and their matching jerseys. The girl’s white away jersey stood out among the sea of burgundy and dark coats of the crowd.

Ray put on her hood as if that would somehow hide her red cheeks. She tried to play it off like she didn’t know what Scott meant, “Just came to wish you guys good luck!”

“Both of us or just Stiles?” Scott was grinning ear to ear.

“Both of you,” Ray said firmly.

“Alright, whatever you say. I won’t need the luck though, so give it all to Stiles. Coach isn’t letting me play tonight.”

“What? Why the hell not?! It’s the championship!”

Scott winced. “I may or may not be failing three classes.”

“Three!? Scott! You know I live right next door and I would gladly help you with any and all assignments! What if you get held back? I want to walk the stage beside you.”

“I know,” Scott said dejectedly. “There’s just been a lot going on. As soon as we figure out what to do about Jackson, I’ll focus more on school. Promise.”

Between the two, Stiles cleared his throat. “You know, I could use some help on some- uh- studying for history.”

“Your grade is higher than mine in history,” Ray deadpanned.

“Well, maybe I can help-,” Stiles did a cocky twirl with his lacrosse stick then pointed it at her, “-you.”

“I have straight A’s, but you can help Scott! Maybe we can split his classes and each tutor him in half so that it’s less of a load on us. You can help him in history, chem and English. I’ll help him in math, Econ, and, what’s your language this year Scotty?” She hoped he wouldn’t say French.

“Spanish.”

“Oh, well you probably don’t need help in that. Maybe Stiles and I can alternate in chem since-“

“Actually, Spanish is one of my F’s,” Scott admitted.

Ray blinked slowly at him, “Scott, you speak Spanish.”

“I know! Ugh- let’s not talk about school. It stresses me out, and I’m already stressed!”

“Can you help me in Spanish’s too?” Stiles asked.

“Stilinski, you also have straight A’s,” Ray pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean I understand what’s going on, it just means I turn in the homework!” Stiles pouted. “I can’t understand it spoken or pronounce like-anything.”

“Can you roll your R’s?”

“Oh, gross,” Scott grimaced. “Changing the subject.”

Ray gasped. “What? I wasn’t being-“

“Stiles,” Scott spoke over her, not wanting to hear her excuses, “-your dad coming?”

“Yeah, he's already here.”

“Either of you seen Allison?”

Ray shook her head no and said, “Seen Gerard though. Isaac told me to be careful if he was here tonight and to stay away from Jackson.”

The three teens turn to look at the far end of the bench where Jackson was sitting stiff as a board just staring at the field. Even Danny wasn’t sitting by him.

“You know what's going on?” Stiles asked Scott.

“Not yet.”

“It's going to be bad, isn't it? I mean, like people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad?”

“Looks like it.”

“Scott,” Stiles nervously fiddled with his lacrosse stick. Ray’s focus zeroed in on his hands as he spoke, “the other night seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt, you know, while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just- I want to help, you know, but I can't do the things that you can do. I can't-“

Ray’s hand gingerly covered the boy’s, getting him to loosen his grip on the stick.

“It's okay,” Scott said as he put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. The two boys shared a desperate look. Scott McCall couldn’t possibly know things were going to be okay. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac were all gone. Jackson seemed completely out of it a hundred percent of the time. Allison wasn’t talking to anyone in the group, even Lydia at this point.

“We're losing, dude,” Stiles whispered to his friend. Ray’s thumb swiped across the back of his hand to comfort him. As soon as she did, a voice behind the three made the teens all jump. Ray brought her hand back to her own lap.

“The hell are you talking about?” Coach said, leaning between Stiles and Scott. “Game hasn't even started. Now put on your helmet and get out there. You're in for Greenberg.”

“What?” Stiles looked wildly around the field. “What happened to Greenberg?”

“What happened to Greenberg? He sucks. You suck slightly less.”

“I'm playing. . ? On the field. . .? With the team?”

“Yes, unless you'd rather play with yourself.”

“I already did that today, twice.” He glanced at Ray who was now tugging at the stings of her hoodie to make her face less visible.

“Get the hell out there!” Coach yelled at the boy.

Stiles scrambled to pick up all his gear at once, causing almost all of it to fall to the floor. Scott picked up his gloves while Ray picked up his helmet. Stiles managed to drop the lacrosse stick as he tried shoving his hands in the gloves Scott handed him. Scott laughed and shook his head.

“You nervous, dude?”

“Yes- I mean no! No!” He used his teeth to pull the glove on tighter while mumbling, “I’m fine!”

“You’re gonna do great out there!” Ray said.

Scott nodded. “It’s just like practice except- the guys on our team are trying to help each other out instead of outdo each other. You’re great at dodging. Stay light in your feet and don’t forget to pass to your teammates when you need to.”

“Yeah, try not to get tackled,” Ray advised. Stiles’s eyes went wide and he froze up. Scott shoved Ray’s shoulder and gave her a look that was silently begging her to shut the hell up. She laughed nervously and added, “I mean, you won’t if you stay light in your feet like Scott said. You should be good!”

Scott nudged her again. This time he was giving her a look she couldn’t read. Stiles put on his helmet then took a deep breath. Ray shrugged her shoulders at Scott, mouthing the words, “ _What’s up with you?!_ ”

“ _Wish him good luck_ ,” Scott mouthed back.

Her eyebrows scrunched together. Why did she have to be the one to do it? Couldn’t Scott wish Stiles good luck just the same?

Ray picked up the lacrosse stick for Stiles and said, “Good luck, man.” She internally cringed as the words left her mouth.

 _Man?_

“Th-thanks?” Stiles took the lacrosse stick from her then ran out into the field.

“The hell was that?!” Scott yelled as soon as their friend was out of earshot. “‘Good luck, man.’ I could have said something more-like- meaningful than that crap!”

“I don’t know!” Ray put her head in her hands. “I-you put a bunch of pressure on me and I panicked!”

“You panicked?! You aren’t the one playing your first game during the Championship!”

“I know!”

“I thought you were gonna like-kiss him or something! Anything would have been better than that!”

“Kiss him?!”

“Aren’t you two-,” Scott gestured time the jersey she was wearing. But before Ray could say anything, Scott’s playful demeanor dropped and his teeth clenched. “No, not here. Not now.”

“What’s wrong?” Ray’s hand was firmly gripping the boy’s shoulder. “Scotty? What is it?”

“Gerard,” he said through clenched teeth. “He’s talking to me.”

“Right now?” Ray looked wilding around the field, but she couldn’t find their werewolf hunter principal among the crowd. “What’s he saying? Do you want me to go look for him?” Her best friend didn’t answer immediately. “Scott.” She started to get up, but he dragged her back down to the bench.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t leave my sight tonight.”

“What? Why?”

“Because he’s gonna have Jackson kill someone if I don’t give up Derek by the last thirty seconds.”

“Who? Who is he going to have killed?” Ray looked over her shoulder to her family sitting in the stands next to Scott’s mom and Stiles’s dad. Lydia and Gabby were a row behind them with their signs. Lydia waved to Ray, gesturing for her to come up and grab a sign.

“Anyone,” Scott whispered. His focus was on a certain jittery player on the field. “It could be anyone.”

Ray followed the boy’s line of sight. A lump in her throat made it hard to breathe. “We have to do something.”

“You aren’t doing anything,” Scott insisted.

“What? Scott! There is a murderer on the field with our best friend! I’m going to do whatever I have to!”

“You can’t! The Argents don’t know about you. You are safe from them if you stay out of all this.”

Up in the stands, her stepfather was shaking the sheriff’s shoulders. They were celebrating Stiles’s start in the game. Her mother and Melissa were gushing and pointing out at the field. Lydia and Gabby had their posters raised high with bright smiles. Even Jayden was laughing with his best friend Mason instead of being on his phone for once.

If the Argents didn’t know about her, not only was she safe, but so was her family. Gerard had no reason to go after them as he had with Scott’s mom. Why give him a reason to?

Before she could respond, her eyes caught a rogue player jogging up to the field. “Isaac,” she whispered.

“What? Isaac left. He can’t-“

“No! Look!” Ray turned Scott so that he could see the blonde jogging up to them. Isaac slipped onto the bench next to Scott, smirking at the two. Scott and Ray were both staring at the boy like he was the sun the whole world revolved around.

“You came to help,” Scott said in amazement.

“I came to win,” he said as he put his gloves on. “You got a plan yet?”

“No, right now it's pretty much just keep Jackson from killing anyone.”

“Well, that might be easier if you're actually in the game. We have to make it so Coach has no choice but to play you.”

“How do we do that?”

Isaac shrugged sheepishly. Ray counted the players on the bench, four. It would be a while before Coach had to put Scott in, or Isaac for that matter. Isaac showed up late, so who’s to say Coach would just let him on the field?

“He's got a bench full of guys he can use before he ever puts you guys on the field,” Ray said. One of the other team’s players tackled a Cyclone. Ray winced at the sound of impact. Scott’s eyes went wide, realizing Isaac’s plan.

“Can you do it without putting anyone in the hospital?” Scott asked.

“I can try.”

Ray’s eyes flickered to a certain number on the field then back to Isaac. “Not Stiles. It’s his first game. Let him have this.”

“Not Stiles. .,” Isaac mumbled as he looked out on the field. “Alright. I’ll tackle Maxwell first. He can’t catch for shit.”

Scott grimaced. “I really hate this plan.”

“Coach!” Ray yelled, grabbing the man’s attention. “Look’s who’s back to help.”

“Well would you look at that, Lahey decided to show up.”

“Yeah, so since we’re losing, maybe we should swap him out for someone else?”

“That’s funny, I don’t remember hiring an assistant coach,” Finstock said to the girl.

“I-what?”

“That’s right, I didn’t! Unless you feel like putting on a helmet and getting on the field, get the hell off my team bench, Nerine! And Lahey, get the hell out there already! What are you waiting for? My blessing?”

“Yes, Coach!” Ray and Isaac said in unison. Isaac ran out onto the field as per Coach’s orders while Ray went back to the bleachers where Lydia was holding a spot for her at the top.

Gabby elbowed her and wiggled her eyebrows. “Your man is first-line tonight!”

“He’s not my man,” Ray said as she raised her poster in the air.

“Did ya wish him good luck?” Gabby’s wink seemed to have a double meaning.

“Don’t wink at me like that,” Ray grumbled. “Yes, I told him good luck.”

Lydia and Gabby smiled at each other. The redhead asked, “So you kissed him?”

“Kissing is not the customary way of wishing someone good luck. . . Wait, is it?”

“Good lord,” Lydia mumbled under her breath. “I give up.”

A crash of shoulder pads had the three girls flinching. Coach yelled at Isaac for smashing into one of his own teammates. Isaac shrugged like it couldn’t have been avoided.

“The hell is he doing?” Gabby wondered aloud.

A shiver ran down Ray’s spine as Lydia whispered in her ear, “Does this have to do with Jackson?”

That was the first time Lydia had mentioned her ex since her birthday party. Ray wished she had chosen a time to ask when they weren’t in public. Her eyes flickered to Gabby who seemed focused on the game before whispering to Lydia.

“Stay away from him tonight.”

“That’s what Danny said.” The two girls looked to the goalie. He had been working extra hard since the game started. It seemed like the other team was constantly on the offensive side.

“Danny told you?” Ray was aware her stepbrother knew something, but she didn’t think he knew enough that would make him feel like he needed to warn Lydia of anything. How much did he know?

“Apparently Jackson told him in the locker room to stay in the goal and run the other way if he saw Jackson coming at him.”

Ray’s eyes flickered from her brother’s number 6 to number 14, 24, then finally landed on 37. Gabby cheered as her boyfriend ran onto the field to replace Ramirez, who Isaac had just tackled. Greenberg stood in between Jackson and Isaac at the lineup. Suddenly the poster in Ray's hands felt heavy. Ray sat down on the freezing metal bleacher and tried to calm her breathing.

No, not now. Not while she was stuck at the top of the bleachers.

She counted the letters in her poster board. Sixteen if the apostrophe and the exclamation mark counted, which they did to Ray. More to count. She counted the letters twice then forced herself to stand. The world seemed to tilt. Lydia and Gabby were quick to grab each of her shoulders.

“Whoa, you good hun?” Gabby asked.

“I think I need to-“

The crowd unanimously gasped at another set of shoulder pads clashing. This time Isaac and Jackson had rammed into each other. Scott ran out into the field. Isaac wasn’t moving.

“No,” Ray whispered. She crouched down and started climbing through the bleachers to drop down. Lydia yelped and grabbed onto Ray’s arm to try and pull her up. Gabby was quick to grab the poster from slipping to the ground below.

“Ray!” Lydia yelled.

“What?! It’s only like ten feet if that!”

“Oh my god!” Gabby said as Ray slipped through the space between the benches at their feet.

Ray swung from a pole then jumped down, making sure to bend her knees. She tumbled in the damp dirt below the bleachers, getting the white jersey and her hoodie a little muddy.

“Let me guess, gymnastics?” Lydia asked from above.

Ray squinted up at her friends, the lights from the field were making them look like angels. “Uh what? No dude, parkour.”

Gabby rolled her eyes and explained to Lydia, “The boys went through a phase where they would only run and jump to places. Ray could never keep up.”

“Well, look at me now!” Ray said, raising her hands in pride.

“You look muddy,” Lydia commented.

“Abuela always said God made us washable to that we could get dirty!”

By the time Ray made it to the field, Isaac was already in a stretcher. Scott was gearing up to replace him on the field. Ray was almost too scared to ask, “What happened?”

Scott looked like he was going to be sick as he explained, “Gerard said I have to be willing to lose a few pawns. Jackson nicked him.”

“Jesus,” Ray looked over at Isaac being rolled away on the stretcher then back to Scott. “Hey, be careful out there, alright? Fuck this game. Focus on keeping everyone away from Jackson, including you.”

“Yeah,” Scott let out a big sigh then put on his helmet. Ray hit the helmet then shook his shoulders.

“You got this.”

Scott laughed. “This is a way better good luck speech than your last one, _man_.”

“Oh my god, please don’t hold that over my head forever.”

“Too late, _man_!” Scott yelled as he ran out into the field.

Stiles was watching them from his spot in the lineup. Ray waved to him with a big smile on her face. Maybe if she yelled words of encouragement now, it would make up for her awkwardness earlier.

“You’re doing great, Stilinski!”

“Nerine!” Coach yelled instantly, “Quit distracting my players! This is all I have left! Get your ass off my field!”

“Yes, Coach!” She waved to Stiles one last time.

“Do I have to drag you by your teeth!?”

“No, Coach! Sorry, Coach!”

On her walk back to the bleachers, she noticed the paramedics weren’t rolling Isaac to the ambulance on sight. They keep pushing him past the bleachers and across the grass toward the locker rooms. That didn’t seem right. Ray looked to the field and around the crowd. No one else had their eyes on the two men rolling her friend away. An unsettling feeling bubbled up in her stomach. She couldn’t just sit and watch the game without knowing where they were taking him.

Scott was busy on the field. Derek hadn’t shown. Who did Isaac have if not her? She continued walking past the bleachers. No one seemed to notice since someone from the other team was making some big play.

“Scott,” she whispered, feeling crazy for even trying it. Surprisingly, his helmet turned her direction. She went on, “I’m going to check on Isaac.”

Scott nodded then went back to focusing on the game. Ray turned and sprinted toward the locker rooms. The two men pushing his stretcher had just disappeared behind the doors. Her shoulders stiffened.

Should she be doing this? The hunters had yet to come for her. It was possible they still didn’t know her secret. Even though things were rough with Allison, Ray didn’t think the young hunter would have told her grandfather about Ray’s powers. Part of her still wanted to believe that Allison wouldn’t say anything to anyone even though Ray had broken her trust and told Lydia all of Allison’s secrets.

Then again, Matt knew what she was. He didn’t use the correct word, but he had figured her out just by watching them. Maybe Gerard already guessed what she was as well.

Could Ray get away with not using her powers when she stepped into that locker room? She wasn’t much of a fighter, actually, she couldn’t recall ever throwing a punch in her life. Slapping and shoving? Sure. She used to rough house with the boys constantly, but could she take on two full-grown, trained hunters? Ray’s only tactic in fights so far had been to tackle them like a linebacker, and that move had only made Isaac angrier that one time she used it on him. And when she had tackled Matt, he overpowered her and nearly shot her then accidentally shot Derek instead who had come to save her. There would be no one to come save her tonight. And just tackling probably wouldn’t work against two men who actually knew what they were doing.

Her sneakers squeaked against the tile outside the locker room. Ray held her breath and pushed against the wall. One of the men inside told the other to check the door. Her left hand clutched tightly around the necklace her father gave her and the other formed a fist on her side. The door whooshed open. Her fist went flying.

“Oh, fuck!” The guy cried as he grabbed his nose. Blood was driving down his chin.

“Who is it?” The other hunter yelled.

“Just some girl!” The one Ray punched grabbed her arm and dragged her into the locker room. Ray screamed and elbowed his face again. He stumbled back, glaring at her. “You little bitch!”

The man came at her, looking like he was going to grab her shoulders. She let out a yelp and dipped under his arms, ended up behind him.

Holy shit. Had that just _worked?_

“Ray!” Isaac cried out, warning her about the second hunter coming at her from her left.

It was too late. Both the guy behind her and the one coming from the left tackled her. She groaned as her head hit the hard flooring. The men on top of her were yelling at one another to get off of each other. They didn’t notice the girl wiggling her arm free from beneath them.

Her fingertips were emitting that blue static again. It wasn’t a move she had complete control over yet, but with the hunters being distracted with each other, Ray was able to focus for a second and make the little blue sparks grow across her fingertips. One of the men noticed her actions. His eyes went wide.

“What the f-“

His speech was cut off by her hand wrapping around his neck. He rolled off the girl, pulsating on the floor next to her. The second guy scrambled off of her before she could grab him next. She pushed herself off the ground as the guy pulled out a gun. Her hands instantly went up in surrender.

“What are you?!” The hunter shouted.

“She’s a descendent of the Nereids,” Gerard said, coming out of the shadows. His sword scraped along the tiled floor as he got closer, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. “A sea nymph. Those aren’t common this far from the coast. . . I suspected it though, with a last name like yours.”

The hunter tightened his grip on the gun and snarled. His teeth were red with blood from his broken nose. A tear fell down the girl’s cheek. She was trying her best not to imagine her own abuelo pointing that barrel at her, but she couldn’t help the tricks her mind was playing on her. That vision still haunted her, relentlessly.

¿ _Cómo pudiste hacerle esto a tu familia?_

“I didn’t choose this!” Ray yelled out at the voices in her head.

Gerard tilted his head then said, “Put down the gun, Tanner. It won’t be necessary. She doesn’t know how to control it yet. If she did, we’d both be on the ground like this one here-“ He kicked the boot of the man she had knocked out.

As soon as the gun was lowered, Ray felt like she could breathe. Gerard took a step toward Isaac. Ray stepped between the two, looking wildly around the room for something to hit him with since she couldn’t get her hands to spark back up. A beat-up looking lacrosse stick was the closest thing to her. She grabbed it and swung it like a bat. Gerard laughed at her feeble attempt.

“You weren’t part of the plan, but I have nothing against preventing a siren in the making.” He said darkly.

The hunter with the bloody nose grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the old man’s path. Ray desperately swung the lacrosse stick at him, but at this angle, she was hitting her own arm more than his. The man easily caught the stick and yanked it out of her grip.

“Number 24, huh?” He snarled and held the lacrosse stick against her throat, holding her in place from behind. The more she struggled, the tighter he pulled on the sick, blocking her airflow.

“Stop!” Isaac yelled as he pushed himself up to a sitting position by the sinks. “Stop! Just let her go! It’s me you want, not her!”

He tried to use the sink to pull himself up but slipped and fell back to the floor. Gerard dragged the sword against the floor again as he walked toward the boy. Ray whimpered. The lacrosse stick pressed harder against her throat.

“Please,” she whispered. Why couldn’t she just calm down enough to use her powers? She tried counting the lockers in the room, the blood-stained tiles on the floor, the footsteps Gerard was taking. Nothing was working to help settle her nerves enough to focus.

She didn’t want to watch Isaac die. There had to be something she could do. Anything!

The hunter’s slimy lips dragged against her ear as he whispered back, “What’s with the waterworks, princess? S’not like your boyfriend is gonna die. Your number 24 is still out on the field.”

Gerard was standing in front of her friend now. “It was a good effort, Isaac. It was. This would be so much more poetic if it were halftime.”

Isaac pulled himself up using the sinks. Gerard raised his sword. The small smile forming on the young werewolf’s face made the seasoned hunter freeze for a second. His eyes caught something in the mirror at the sinks, a pair of yellow, glowing eyes. Ray’s shoulders relaxed as she saw her best friend standing behind them in the mirror.

The hunter loosened his grip on her slightly as he turned to see who was behind him. Ray elbowed him then grabbed the stick and swung it around blindly, hitting the guy directly in his broken nose.

The hunter she had knocked out earlier was trying to get up. Scott picked him up by his shirt and threw him into the lockers. He grabbed the broken nosed hunter next and threw him just the same while Ray ran over to Isaac to help him stand better.

Scott looked around the room, “Where is he?”

Gerard had run off to save himself, or this was all a distraction. Now there was no one on the field to stop Jackson.

Stiles was still on the field.

Ray started dragging Isaac out of the locker rooms. Scott ran to the blonde boy’s other side to help. He ended up just throwing Isaac over his shoulder so that Ray could run back to the field.

She nearly collapsed on the sidelines. Her sweaty hand gripped the rusty metal bleachers for support. Forty-five seconds left on the clock. The game was tied, nine to nine, and the crowd was going batshit crazy from all the last-minute action. A player from the Beacon Hills team grabbed the ball and threw it straight into another player's stick, number 24.

The clock was running down as Stiles sprinted clear across the field. Danny was in goal. Greenberg was making a path for Stiles to have a clear shot. Jackson was staying on the defense side even though he wasn’t holding a long stick.

By the time Scott and Isaac were at her side, Stiles came to a halt in front of the other team's net. He swung his stick.

The ball went in.

Ray couldn’t help herself, she let out a cheerful scream then shook Isaac’s shoulder pads. He laughed at her craziness. Scott was too focused on the time clock to be celebrating.

“Nothing happened,” he said in disbelief.

“We won!” Coach was yelling as he ran up and down the field. “We won!”

Scott looked to Isaac and Ray. “How come nothing-“

The lights for the field all went out. A girl let out a deafening scream.

Ray grabbed tightly onto Scott’s arm. “That sounded like-“

“Lydia,” Isaac finished for her.

That was enough to send Ray running onto the field. Everything was dark, but she could still make out familiar figures in the crowd. Her eyes caught sight of someone in a burgundy jersey laying on the field. Her breath got caught in her throat.

The lights turned back on. Her stepbrother pulled her into a hug and whispered, “Don’t look.”

She tiptoed over this shoulder, needing to know who it was. A once bright white number 37 was stained in blood. She let out a sigh of relief then instantly felt guilty for doing so. But if Jackson was the one down, then where was-

“Jackson! Jackson, what's happening?” Lydia cried as she pushed through the crowd.

The lights flicked back on. Lydia fell to her knees beside Jackson. Melissa pushed her way through the crowd, yelling that she was a nurse to have people move. Danny let Ray go, but she kept her arm around his waist for comfort. After all, that was his best friend.

Danny fell on the other side of the boy and Ray followed him to the ground. She pushed up the sleeves of her hoodie, ready to help Melissa administer the first aid she learned. Though, the dummy in that class did not mentally prepare her for the amount of blood she was currently seeing.

Coach was trying to push back some of the crowd. “Can we get a medic over here? We're gonna need a medic!”

Melissa leaned in to listen. “He's not breathing.” She grabbed his wrist while Ray grabbed the other. “No pulse.”

Sonia kneeled down next to her stepson. “Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, my God. There's blood,” Lydia whispered in horror. “There's blood.”

Ray looked at the bloody claws on Jackson’s hand then to her mother. Sonia’s jaw hardened.

“He did it to himself,” Isaac muttered from behind them.

Melissa started giving orders, “Danny, help Lydia out of here. Ray, tilt his head.”

“We taking turns?” Sonia asked.

Melissa let out a shaky breath then put her hands over the boy’s chest. “I’ll go first.”

Sonia counted Melissa’s chest compressions until thirty then gave Jackson a breath. Ray watched her mother do the second set of compressions, completely out of it. The world seemed to fizzle out to white noise around them. She hadn’t even heard the town’s sheriff yelling in the background.

“Stiles?! Where's Stiles? Where- Where the hell is my son?!”

Scott and Isaac both pulled Ray out of the mud so that the mothers could do what they could. Ray couldn’t take her eyes off the scene. There was a loud crack, a rib breaking, Melissa kept going. Sonia kept counting.

Ray shoved the two boys off of her then turned to spray her dinner onto the grass. Scott frantically tried to hold back her hair while Isaac held her up so that she didn’t fall forward into it.

“Get the girls out of here!” Sonia yelled at Danny.

The boy stumbled back with Lydia in his arms. Both were crying, but Lydia was hysterical.

“I still- I still have his key!” She was trying to break free from Danny’s hold, hitting him on the chest, but not hard enough to actually do any damage.

“Let’s go get your mouth rinsed out,” Isaac whispered to Ray.

Scott rubbed her back and offered, “I have a toothbrush in my bag I’ve only used a couple times. You can have it.”

The other two looked at him in confusion. Isaac asked what Ray was too in shock to say, “Dude, why do you bring a _toothbrush_ to lacrosse games?”

“To make out with Allison,” Scott said with a shrug. The other two shared a disgusted look. “What!? I was a considerate boyfriend! No one wants to make out with someone who has bad breath!”

Danny was struggling to get Lydia away from the scene. Scott ran to help guide her. The five ended up in the locker room. The rest of the team was frantically trying to get their stuff and go, too freaked out by their dying teammate on the field to be celebrating their championship win. They sat Lydia down by Scott’s locker. Ray leaned against Stiles’s then frowned as Scott put the toothbrush and travel size toothpaste in her hands.

“Hey, where’s-“

The sheriff burst into the locker room. “Stiles? Have any of you seen Stiles?”

“He’s missing?” Ray said in disbelief. Her chest felt like it was being constricted. “What do you mean?”

“Ray,” Scott said softly. “Go brush your teeth. We’ll figure this out.”

Danny had sunk to the floor in front of his locker, no longer able to hold it together. Lydia was practically catatonic staring at the floor. She didn’t bat an eyelash even when Isaac bent down in front of her.

“Guys, I think we should get her to her mom,” Isaac said, looking up to Scott.

Ray spit into the sink then said, “She came alone. I’ll drive her car home for her.” The sheriff was on the phone with the station. Ray tossed the toothbrush in the trash then handed the toothpaste back to Scott who was giving her a look of pity. “What?”

“You don’t have to drive her. We can find someone else.”

“Scott, she’s my friend. I want to be there for her.”

“But-,” Scott’s eyes drifted to the sheriff. He wondered who was going to be there for Ray. Who knows where Stiles could have gone? The other team could have been beating the shit out of him right now as they all stood in the locker room twiddling their thumbs. Or worse, hunters could have even taken him. Scott didn’t want Ray to be alone.

 _Scott_ didn’t want to be alone.

“What about Stiles?” Scott hated that he sounded like he was about to start crying. Ray was being strong, so he should be strong too.

“You know I wouldn’t be of any help to you and Isaac,” Ray said, eyeing the blonde who had made himself busy by collecting Danny’s things for him. “Thank you for looking out for me, but I’m- I’m honestly in shock and it hasn’t hit me yet. Once it does, I’ll call you. For now, I’ll take Danny and Lyds home then we’ll meet up if you still haven’t found him, alright?”

The girl struggled with getting Lydia off the bench. Everything around Lydia felt like it was suddenly crashing down. Jackson was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. Lydia hadn’t completely come to terms with this new supernatural world yet which is probably why this all felt so insane. One thing she couldn’t wrap her head around was how obvious it was that Jackson had done it to himself.

Lydia sobbed into Danny’s shoulder in the backseat up until Danny had to leave because Ray had gotten to their house. Once he was gone, Lydia asked, “Why did he do this?”

Ray was speechless. It didn’t make sense. Why would Gerard gain control of the kanima then decide to kill it? Didn’t he want to use Jackson to get vengeance for Kate? The kanima was damn near unstoppable. Gerard wouldn’t just give up that kind of power without reason. . .

It was hard to know what to say to Lydia at that moment. Jackson had broken up with her and pushed her away. Lydia still loved him, but Ray knew her love wasn’t enough to save him from what he had become. But the truth of it all would have been too overwhelming to hear in that moment. She was looking for comfort, not truth.

All Ray felt like she could say at that moment was, “He knew you still loved him, he had to of. It’s obvious to the whole world how much you care for him.”

“Yeah,” Lydia’s shaking hand moved to pull out the key hanging around her neck. “He knew. He must have known. .”

Lydia's mom had gone to make them all a cup of coffee, knowing it would be a long night. Lydia had noticed that Ray, who had been kind enough to drive her home and even bring her to her room to just sit with her, was wiping away tears that were streaming down her own face. Her knuckles were white from how hard they were clutching her phone. The screen was glowing with text messages she had sent to Stiles. She hadn’t gotten any responses.

"Go look for him." Lydia nodded to the phone in Ray’s hand. "I've got my mom, and I think I'm going to have her take me to the hospital to see him. I- I was supposed to give him something."

Ray shook her head no. "I can't just leave you, Lydia. You lost someone, and I'm your friend. I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Lydia surprised even herself by having a small smile. "Ray, thank you, but you lost someone too, and your someone can be found."

This only made Ray cry harder. She wasn't so sure Stiles could be found. Who knows what could have happened to him? Update texts from Scott and Isaac had let her know that Peter was working alongside Derek and Scott. This meant the only people working against them, the only people that could have taken Stiles, were the Argents. But what would they have wanted with Stiles? He wasn’t supernatural. . . unless. .

_“Number 24, huh?”_

That hunter she punched noticed the jersey. That’s why they singled Stiles out.

It was her fault.

She caused this.

"I'll be alright, Ray. Go. Find him. Text me once you do."

Ray didn't know what to say to her friend. The two girls shared a tearful hug before Ray bolted out of the house. Stiles’s house was probably only a mile away, but she felt like she was going to collapse from all the running once she finally got there. There was no jeep, but the sheriff’s police car was parked in the driveway. Maybe if he was home, that meant Stiles was too.

She knocked on the front door and waited, holding her breath and hoping. . .

Noah answered the door. His face fell at the sight of her. She wasn’t Stiles.

“He’s still missing?” It felt like her hope was an arrow stuck in her chest. It hurt to move, but if she pulled it out, she’d bleed out. Pulling it out would be like giving up on him.

“No,” his father answered quietly, “but we just put an APB out on him. . You wanna come in? You look like you could use some water.”

Ray’s feet dragged a bit as she stepped into the house. “Yeah, I could. . I ran here.”

“You ran?” He sounded impressed as he filled up a glass at the sink for her.

“Yeah, I drove Lydia’s car home for her and Sti-,” she cut off, not being able to say his name, “He’s always my ride.”

“You two have been close lately,” the sheriff said casually. It felt like he was watching to see how she’d respond to his comment. It was clear he was suspicious of them since he had that open door rule. But now he was looking at her like. . Like he knew more than she did about it all.

Did Stiles tell him about the kiss?

Ray looked down at the ground out of embarrassment. Her eyes caught sight of the white jersey she had still been wearing. Walking straight off a cliff seemed appealing at that moment. Of course, he saw the jersey and had to make a comment. There was no hiding the truth at this point. Yesterday she had his jacket, and now she had a giant burgundy STILINSKI printed across her back.

“Anyway,” the sheriff went on after a moment, “You want to come search his room for clues with me?”

It wasn’t likely they’d find anything, but Ray agreed. The two examined the things on his desk. A pair of drumsticks were on the floor. Ray picked them up to put them on his desk so that no one stepped on them and rolled an ankle. She hadn’t heard him play in a while. Maybe once this was all over Scotty could bring his guitar over and they’d play in the garage so that she could listen in and pretend like they weren’t any good. That always bugged the boys. She loved bugging her boys. . .

Her hand traced over a painting she had given him when she was obsessed with pouring paint last summer. The colors didn’t match his room decor at all. It hung above his desk, sticking out like a sore thumb. She and Scott had ones just like it. Ray had lined the three canvases up and just went to town. After that, she still had paint leftover and searched around the yard for something else to pour. Her mother was livid when she came home from work to find a rainbow mailbox.

Stiles thought it looked so cool when he was shooting hoops with the boys that afternoon. Scott had joined in on the compliments and even asked her to make him one. That’s when she decided to split up the three canvases among them. Stiles was over the moon about it.

_“It so cool! Are you sure I can just have it? You don’t want money for it?”_

_“It’s all yours, Stilinski. Just make sure you don’t make a giant hole in your wall when you are hanging it. I don’t need your dad blaming me for your house falling apart.”_

Ray curiously moved the painting off its hook. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the wall it was covering. She quickly hung back up the painting, glancing over her shoulder to make sure his dad hadn’t seen.

Oh, that boy. . .

The Argents wouldn’t hurt him, right? He was human. They didn’t kill humans, they served to protect them.

Ray glanced at the boy’s father who was staring at a framed photo of the kids at their eighth-grade graduation. Ray’s bangs were horribly blunt. Stiles’s tie was already falling off even though they had just walked the stage. Scott stood in the middle of them with the biggest brace-face smile he could muster. His mom was still making payments for those.

Should she tell his dad about the Argents? She’d have to explain why they had him, he wouldn’t just outright believe that the school principal abducted his son. Stiles had kept this all from his dad for so long. He wasn’t mad at Ray for telling Lydia, but would he forgive her for telling his dad?

Save him and lose him, or lose him for the sake of keeping the peace.

It would be selfish of her to stay quiet. Stiles being mad at her was worth keeping him alive. Her heart pounded in her chest. Ray opened her mouth to speak-

The sheriff’s phone buzzed. As he looked down at it, his mood turned sour.

“Anything?” Ray asked.

“Nothing,” he huffed. "Come on, Stiles. Where the hell are you?"

"Right here," a voice croaked out from his bedroom door.

It felt like the world stopped for a second. Sound even seemed muffled as she turned and caught sight of him. Stiles kept his head down like he was trying to hide his face. She could feel he was ashamed, but she didn’t understand why. Was he embarrassed someone hurt him?

Self-control went out the window. She ran past his father to get to him and hold him. His wince made her step back and utter a million apologies.

"I'm so sorry. They hurt you?"

"No," Stiles meant to sound convincing, but his voice was broken and the word came out as a plea.

The relief that had washed over his dad’s face quickly turned to anger as he registered the state Stiles was in. Stiles tried to insist he was okay once again, but the sheriff wasn't having it. He moved his son’s cheek to get a better look at the giant bruise and small cuts that littered it. "Who did it."

"It's okay, just some kids from the other team. They were pissed that we won and I was. . . I was mouthing off, you know. And the next thing I knew-"

"Who was it?" His dad demanded again.

It was obvious to Ray it wasn't the other team who did this. She knew exactly who would have done something like this, and she was going to kill him for it. It didn’t matter if he was protected by an army of hunters. Gerard was going to pay.

"Dad, I don't know. I didn't see them really."

"I want descriptions."

"Look, Dad come on. It's not even that bad-"

"I'm calling that school. I'm calling them, and I'm gonna personally go down there and I'm gonna pistol-whip these little bastards!"

Ray flinched at how much the sheriff had suddenly raised his voice. Her hand wrapped tightly in the fabric of Stiles' jersey. She timidly took a step so that he was directly behind her and out of the sight of his father’s anger.

Stiles placed a hand on her shoulder to move her. He didn’t need her protection from his own dad. "Dad! I just- I said it was okay."

"God," Sheriff Stilinski mumbled as he pulled his son into a tight hug. Ray finally released her grip on the boy’s jersey and became very interested with the chip in the paint just outside Stiles' room. She felt awkward invading their touching moment. That is, until a strong hand wrapped around her forearm and pulled her to join their hug.

“Thank you for being here for him,” his dad told her.

Her hair was ruffled relentlessly by both of the Stilinskis until the father excused himself to make a few calls and tell everyone that Stiles was home and safe. He also promised Stiles that he would send a deputy to go collect his jeep from the school for him. As soon as he left, Ray lifted up her friend's shirt to examine his ribs.

"Aye!" The boy jumped out of the way of her wandering hands. "What are you-"

She rolled her eyes and turned him around by the shoulders. "To the bathroom. I'll clean you up."

"I'm-"

"Stiles, if you fucking tell me you're okay right now, I'm going to tell your dad how not okay you actually are." That shut him up.

In the bathroom, Ray argued with Stiles who refused to take his shirt off while she dampened a washrag.

"Nothing bleeding there. Just my face. You don't need to-"

"God _dammit_ , Stilinski. That's not what the water is for. Deaton showed me once that I can heal with water. It worked on Scott and Derek, so. .let me just try it out."

Stiles blushed. "I just- it hurts to move like that. I'll hold my shirt up while you do it." The boy slightly lifted his jersey and undershirt so that one of the faint reddish-purple bruises could be seen at the bottom of his rib cage.

Ray lightly pressed the wet cloth to the bruise. Her hand started to heat up which either meant the healing was working, or she was so nervous to be touching him that her hands were sweating. It was probably a bit of both. Stiles wiggled around complaining about it tickling, but she was happy it wasn't hurting him. She worked up his chest and around his sides, and even a small bruise on his back.

After she finished, she grabbed Stiles' chin like his father had done earlier to examine his face. "Your dad will be suspicious if I heal this one."

"Just leave it. It doesn't hurt as bad as the others."

Ray dabbed the rag lightly across his cheek to get rid of the blood. Her eyes scanned around his face again then caught sight of a small bruise on his neck. Her finger lightly grazed over it. The boy shifted on the counter and let out the smallest breath of air. Because of his reaction, she worried that the small bruise was hurting him.

“How’d they get you there?” She wondered aloud.

“That one’s from this other girl who attacked me earlier.”

“Who attacked you earlier?” Ray started to get heated again. If some other girl laid her hands on Stiles, Ray was about to go find the girl and show her what a punch was really supposed to feel like.

Stiles laughed and shook his head. “You did, _dumbass-_ when you cheated and stole this from me.” He tugged on the front of the white away jersey, making her take a step closer to him. Ray wouldn’t have been surprised if her cheeks had gone as dark red as the maroon number 24 on the front. His hand had been awfully close to her chest.

Part of her wondered what it felt like to have a hickie. Did it hurt him? Did he not even feel it? Had anyone else noticed it throughout the day? Her finger curiously swiped over it again. Stiles shivered under her feathery touch.

“Does it hurt?”

His knuckles were white from gripping the sink behind him. His eyes squeezed shut for a second. He let out a shaky breath. “No, it doesn’t.” The boy wet his lips, drawing her attention to them. The corner of his mouth had started to swell slightly around the small split he had on his lip.

“No one will notice if I heal just this small one," she whispered as she held the corner of the cloth over a cut on his lip. She studied her accomplishment and placed the rag onto the sink behind him.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I. . . didn't want you to have a split lip when I kiss you."

"You didn't- wait. What?"

The girl was so nervous she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. She gripped the sink on each side of him in hopes of grounding herself. The confused look on his face was so adorable. She just wanted to kiss every inch of it, but first, she really wanted to kiss him again, not just a peck. Really kiss him, like they did behind his jeep the other night.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked.

"Can you- I mean. Of freaking co-"

Two small knocks on the door made the teens jump and step away from each other. Stiles groaned a "Come on!" before opening the bathroom door.

In the hall stood a petite strawberry blonde with red swollen eyes. Ray stepped forward and pulled her friend into a hug.

"They won't let me see him. I went there. I begged them Ray, but they- I have to see him. He's been asking for this back and- I just. . . I have to give it to him." Lydia held up a small house key for Ray and Stiles to see.

Stiles pulled off some toilet paper for Lydia to wipe her eyes. She thanked him and turned to the mirror to fix her running makeup.

"Your dad let me in. He didn't say you two would be making out in the bathroom though," the girl said to lighten the mood. She felt bad for making everyone around her sad and hated being given the pity look.

"We weren't-,” Ray said.

At the same time, Stiles was fumbling his own explanation, "She was just-"

"I was cleaning the blood-"

"No kissing happened."

"Definitely not."

"That'd be insane."

"Totally insane,” Ray finished.

The two had become very flushed and refused to look in each other's general direction. Lydia laughed at their mess of and explanation. "I was just joking."

"We knew that," they said in unison.

A cellphone on the counter buzzed and lit up. Stiles had fourteen missed messages from Scott. The capital letters made it easy for Lydia to read from where she stood. The startling information made Lydia grab at the phone quickly.

"Jackson's alive?"

"What?" The two idiots said together again. They both leaned over to see the message on the small phone screen and managed to bump their heads together.

"I'm going to see him. Ray, are you getting these messages from Scott, too?"

Ray scrambled to get her phone from her back pocket. "Yeah. And they are talking about where to take him."

"Good," Lydia handed Stiles his phone back. "You can navigate. Let's go."

There was no question about it for Ray. She would do anything for her heartbroken friend, even if that meant running into the middle of a supernatural showdown which just happened to be what Lydia was asking her to do.

Stiles thought very differently on the matter, however. He gingerly took Ray's hand before she could follow Lydia out of the bathroom. "It's too dangerous. We can't go."

"If you read the whole group message earlier, you'd know about Peter's plan to save Jackson. Lydia is kind of the most important part of it, the only part of it, actually. Besides, you don't have to go. She can drive and I’ll map it out."

"I'm not letting you get in the way of what Gerard wants. He'll kill you without thinking twice, don't you know that?"

Ray was starting to feel like the star of an action movie with how many weapons had been pointed at her recently. Every time, it terrified her. She didn’t want to die, but she also didn’t want anyone else to die.

“Scott and Isaac are going to be there, ready to fight whatever the hell it is Jackson is turning into. Without Lydia, they might lose.”

“Then let Lydia go,” Stiles begged. “What if you go, and you end up getting hurt?”

The door seemed like it was getting further from her reach even though her feet were firmly planted in the ground. Somehow, Stiles felt far away too. His hand was tucking her hair behind her ear. He cradled the side of her face so gently. Still, he felt miles away.

“You don’t get it. If something happened to them and I wasn’t there. . I’d rather have gone and been with them. If I can help protect them or heal them, I should be there. This isn’t about me, this is about saving Jackson.”

"See that's the problem. You don't care if you get hurt, but you know how I'll feel? I'll be devastated. God, Ray. You're like- my best friend. You..you just mean _so_ much to me."

Ray was stuck on the word "friend". She had hoped after all they'd been through that he could see her as something more. She put a hand on his chest and pushed him away. "Lydia is my friend too, Stiles. I can’t leave her to do this alone. I already lost Allison and Danny. I can’t lose anyone else. Don’t you get that.”

"But I can’t lose you," Stiles whispered as he cupped her face. "If you die, I will literally go out of my freaking mind. Don't you see? Death doesn't happen to you, it affects everyone around you, okay? All the people left standing at your funeral. Your mom, your dad, your brothers, your friends. You’re really going to risk leaving them wondering how they are going to keep living their lives without you in it?"

“What if we lose Scott? What if I could have done something, and I didn’t because I was scared. I have-I have the ability to do something. If I don’t and something happens. . I couldn’t stand at his funeral knowing I could have done something.”

Ray’s eyes glistened with tears. The way Stiles was looking at her as if this might be the last time he ever saw her.

"Please don't leave. Don't leave me,” he begged.

The girl wanted nothing more than to stay with him. She knew this was the moment, the perfect moment to stay and tell him how she feels. They'd kiss and finally admit to their feelings for one another, something she's dreamed about for ages.

She couldn't. Not while her other friends risked their lives in hopes to save one of their own.

"I'll come back over after, and if I'm dead then you can tell me 'I told you so.' I know you'd love to be the one in the right for once."

Instead of laughing at her joke, Stiles frowned and let her go. She turned and ran out into the hall where Lydia was eavesdropping and waiting for a ride to Jackson. They waved to Sheriff Stilinski in the living room on their way out, but they never made it out of the driveway.

When Ray got into the passenger seat of Lydia’s car, Ray grabbed her friend’s hand before it could turn the key in the ignition. Her throat felt dry as she left out a breath, a trail of tears coming out with it.

"He asked me not to leave. All our chances are ruined now, aren't they?"

Lydia couldn't help but think her friend's misfortune is her fault for asking her to drive with her. "Go back to him. I can drive myself."

"No," Ray shook her head. "This is the right thing. I want to help, I just. . . I wish he would have come with us."

And as if on cue, Stiles burst out of his house with a wild look in his eyes. He pointed crazily behind them at his jeep that the girls didn't even notice was blocking them in the driveway. Apparently, a deputy had dropped it off sometime during Ray and Stiles’ drama in the bathroom. The girls got out as Stiles started yelling "I'll drive. Come on!"

Ray swiftly wiped her tears so that Stiles wouldn't ask questions then scrambled into the back of his jeep. Lydia gave Ray an approving look that said, 'Maybe your chances aren't over.'

And Ray hoped for her friend's sake that her chances with Jackson weren't over either.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Lydia asked as Ray tugged yet again on the locked warehouse door.

“This is it! Listen!”

The three pressed their ears to the door, there was a loud crash and a screech, sounding like it came from the kanima.

“Fuck!” Stiles yelled as he hit the locked door, causing the two girls to jump back. Ray was used to his frustrated outburst by now, but Lydia has only ever seen Stiles as the dorky sidekick. He was quickly becoming more three dimensional as the night went on, especially after overhearing his argument with Ray in the bathroom.

“Maybe there’s a window-,” Ray tried.

“We don’t have time, just-,” he rubbed his face and looked back at the jeep. “Shit, okay, okay. Get back in the jeep and buckle up.”

Once the girls were fastened in their seats, Stiles slowly backed up the jeep and faced it at the wall.

“Uh, ha, Stiles? What are you-“ He revved the engine. Ray quickly grabbed onto one of the safety bars. “Oh, _god_.”

Lydia looked to Ray in the back seat, terror on her face. “Your boyfriend is going to _kill_ us!”

“No, I’m not,” Stiles grumbled. “Just hold on.”

His foot slammed onto the gas. The jeep crashed through the wall. All three teens screamed wildly. The building’s metal paneling slid off the hood just in time to show the kanima. Stiles slammed his foot on the brakes, but not in time to leave the kanima unscathed. The whole jeep jolted as it hit the creature, knocking the ugly thing over.

“Oh my god, that’s was so badass!” Ray yelled, grabbed onto Stiles's shoulder excitedly from the backseat.

“Did I get him?” Stiles asked in astonishment.

“I think you-“

The three teens collectively screamed as a creature jumped onto the hood of the jeep. The kanima hissed at them through the windshield. But that time, Lydia was already shoving the passenger door open to get out.

“Go! Go!” Stiles had his hands on Ray’s waist as she climbed to the front seat.

Scott was at the passenger door helping pull Ray out. Stiles stumbled out after her since his side was too close to the wall to get out. Scott steadied him then passed him off to Ray as if he was handing her a baby. _Here, your turn to hold it_.

Stiles shook his head and blinked from all the being thrown around. Ray grunted under his weight.

“Stiles, if you could use both of your feet, that would be great.”

“What? Oh-,” the boy finally found his balance then put his hand on her shoulder. “Is this a bad time for the ‘I’m falling for you’ line?”

“You were falling for Scott and he threw you at me to go-,” Ray looked around the warehouse. “Oh my god.”

Gerard was laying face down in a pile of the black liquid Derek had thrown up that own time he was hit with a wolfsbane bullet. Stiles’s hand rested on her lower back. She took a step closer to him then away again as soon as her eyes landed on the blonde boy hunched over and wincing in the corner.

“Isaac!”

The hand on her back dropped off when she moved toward the other boy. Ray stopped to tug Stiles’s hand, dragging him with her over to the boy on the ground. The front and the back of his shirt was drenched in blood. The girl fell to her knees and gripped the blonde boy’s shoulder.

“I’m good,” Isaac insisted. “I’m healing. I’m good.”

“Let’s help him up,” Ray suggested.

The two working together were able to get the blonde boy the size of a tree back on his feet. Isaac leaned most of his weight onto Stiles since Ray was shorter, but the blonde ruffled her hair and promised her he was okay now. Stiles’s jaw was tight like he was biting back something he wanted to say. An annoyed huff came out his flared nose.

Lydia was handing Jackson the key to his house. The kanima scales were almost completely gone. Jackson looked at the key in awe then at the crying girl before him.

Was that what Stiles was annoyed over? Jackson and Lydia? Surely he knew Lydia still loved Jackson. . That was the whole reason he drove the girls here!

Isaac was able to stand on his own now and stepped back to be behind Scott. The muscles in Stiles's shoulders relaxed when he realized Ray wasn’t following Isaac. Instead, she had shuffled close to him, hiding behind his shoulder. When Jackson took a step back away from Lydia, Ray latched onto Stiles’s arm. She wanted to call out to her friend and warn her to step back, but the words were blocked by fear.

Suddenly Derek charged forward and Peter came out of the shadows. They each dug a claw into the front and back of Jackson. Scott stepped forward. Isaac reached out to hold him back, warning him not to get involved, but the blonde boy’s hand quickly retreated when Allison made her way to Scott. She came over to hold the boy’s hand for comfort. Isaac tensed up and stepped behind Ray and Stiles, putting space between himself and the hunter.

The Hales released Jackson, letting him fall to his knees. Lydia whimpered and ran over to hold him. Ray grabbed tighter on Stiles’s arm.

“Do you - do you still-?” Jackson croaked out.

Lydia held his face so tenderly. “I do. I do still love you. I do, I do still love you. I do-“ Jackson went limp in her arms. She cradled his head a minute longer, mumbling, “I do. I do still love you, I do.”

When Lydia finally stood from Jackson’s body, Ray stepped out from behind Stiles to go to her friend. She only made it halfway there before stopping dead in her tracks. The body behind Lydia was moving.

“Lydia,” Allison called to the girl. Both Ray and Allison grabbed one of the redhead’s arms to pull her away from whatever the hell was going on behind her. She tried to free herself from their hold, but Ray had a firm grip, one probably too tight from the shock of seeing a dead body rise.

Jackson’s nails scraped against the pavement. He stood up in the glow of the Jeep’s headlights and raised his head to a sky, letting out a deafening roar. His eyes glowed a bright blue.

“Holy-,” Scott mumbled.

“Shit,” Isaac finished for him.

Once Jackson transformed from his werewolf for back to human, Ray released Lydia so that the redhead could run at him. A light touch landed on her shoulder then squeezed. Ray turned to meet Stiles and surprised him by wrapping her arms around his middle and tucking her head into his chest. He seemed to melt around her. His arms quickly found a spot on her back, so that he could pull her in closer.

“Where’s Gerard?” They heard Allison say. The two didn’t move from each other, they didn’t care.

“He can’t be far,” her father responded.

Stiles started to move one of his hands. Ray gripped his lacrosse jersey, not letting him move.

“Not yet,” she mumbled into his chest.

“Oh, okay, but- I- my nose is itchy.”

She laughed and released him a little to look up at him. His eyes were red and swollen. A tear ran from the corner of his eye as he looked down at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jackson scratched my jeep.”

“Oh my god-“

His voice went an octave higher for a second, “Well look at it! The hood’s dented again and it’s a brand new one because that asshole-,” he gestured to Peter, “-bent the shit out of it a couple months ago. I already have a bill from when Erica ripped the starter out-“

“You aren’t crying because of your jeep,” Ray insisted.

Stiles quickly shut his mouth then opened it again, “Well, how do you know I’m not!? Jeeps are expensive and-“ Ray started to pull away from him. “-No, no. Don’t move. Okay. I’m lying! I’m lying. Let’s just-,” he looked across the room to where Derek, Isaac, and Peter we’re heading out. “Let’s talk on the way home.”

Ray looked over her shoulder then quickly back to Stiles, focusing on his eyes only. “Um, can Jackson ride with someone else? He’s naked again.”

The two silently slipped into the jeep without discussing their plans with anyone else. They’d all figure it out. Argent’s giant SUV would fit the five of them just fine. The jeep didn’t pull out undetected, though. A sheet of metal scraped and dragged along the concrete flooring for a few feet until it clattered to the ground. The rest of the group turned to see what all the commotion was from. Ray rolled down the window and let out a fake laugh.

“Ah ha, sorry about the mess guys!”

“Tell them we’re leaving,” Stiles whispered to her.

“We, uh- we’ll catch up with y’all Monday at school!” Ray rolled up the window then wildly looked to Stiles. “Are we seriously just gonna leave this wall you ran into on the floor and drive off?"

“I’m sorry, did you want to spend the night sifting through sheets on bent metal?!”

“No! But- whoever works here is going to have such a shitty Monday morning. . .” Ray flinched as Stiles ran over one last sheet of metal before speeding off.

His eyes kept flicking from her side profile to her hands in her lap, and occasionally the road. Her lips were bent in a small frown. He wanted to kiss the corners of her mouth, but well, he was driving. And anyway, he didn’t know if she wanted him to do that.

Ray was watching the trees go by. The forest looked pretty at night, but also terrifying. After all she’s witnessed, her mind could come up with some pretty scary looking monsters that could be lurking in there. Imagining clowns walking out of the forest in front of the jeep was just a distraction her mind was doing to keep herself from the real terror: how Stiles reacted when Lydia was giving Jackson the key.

And why he had been crying.

“It’s okay if you still like her,” Ray said, finally breaking their silence.

“What? What makes you think-“

“Don’t try to deny it, Stiles. I’m too tired for this. Just tell me the truth.”

“Okay, the truth? How about you tell me the truth about Isaac.”

Isaac? What the hell did he have to do with any of this?

“Excuse me?” Was all Ray could bring herself to say.

“You’re all- protective of him and- and if you like him just tell me. I’ll just pretend like the kiss never happened and we can go back to being friends.”

“I don’t like Isaac. He’s my friend! The only friend that I felt like I could talk to this whole week!”

“Yeah, seemed like you guys were just friends when you ran off to fight off three hunters in the locker room alone for him!”

That annoyed look Stiles had in the warehouse wasn’t because Lydia was in love with someone else, it’s was because he had to help Isaac. So what? Now Ray couldn’t have friends that were guys? Was she supposed to stop hanging out with Scotty?

Ray scoffed. “If it was Gabby I was so worried over, would you still be jealous?” When Stiles didn’t answer, Ray put her hand on the door. “Stop the car.” She unclipped her seatbelt.

“Put that back on!” Stiles shouted in fear. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep it from swaying.

“Isaac is my friend, that’s all! I’m not going to stop hanging out with other boys just because we- Ugh! I said stop the car!”

The jeep slowed to a stop. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, letting the tears fall. He waited to hear the sound of her door opening and slamming, but he just heard silence. When he braved a glance over at her, he saw she had pulled her feet up on the seat to hug her knees.

“Is Isaac going to be a problem?” She whispered. Her softer tone hit him way harder than her yelling had.

He shook his head. “No, of course not, you can have friends. . . Is Lydia going to be a problem for you?”

Ray looked so tired with her cheek squished up against her knee. “No. She isn’t. I just couldn’t think of another reason you would have been crying.”

“I wasn’t crying over Lydia.”

“So you were crying because you thought I liked someone else?”

He took a deep breath. “I know it’s stupid. It’s just- nothing ever goes right for me. It was easy to assume things with you were too good to be true.”

Her smile was back, but it wasn’t wholesome, it was a troublesome smirk that had Stiles’s heart racing in fear as she spoke, “What are these things with me?”

The boy rubbed his sweaty hands on his gym shorts then said, “Yeah, I’m gonna keep driving now.”

“Stiles,” she called in a teasing tone. Her fingers poked the sensitive spots on his sides, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat.

“No tickling! And put your seatbelt on.”

“Stiles, are you doing that thing where you avoid something until it goes away?” She asked as she put her seatbelt on.

“No. I don’t know why you would think that.”

“Then why don’t you tell me what these things are with me, hmm?” Her teasing was cut off when his hand landed on her thigh and squeezed. Any other words she had were thrown out the window while her brain tried to not explode. The touch receptors on her thigh were on overdrive, sending a warm rush throughout her whole body. Then his thumb swiped across her, an action that was meant to be kind and innocent in his eyes. She hand to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from moaning.

“I’ll take you on a real date,” he proclaimed. “One we both know about. One that doesn’t get derailed by other people.”

There were a lot of things Ray wanted to say. She wanted to tease him with something like _Oh, now you admit they weren’t dates_. Or even _Don’t make promises you can’t keep._ Her mouth was sealed shut as his hand rubbed further up her thigh.

He went on, “Would you want that?”

Ray pulled herself together enough to say, “Of course.”

“Great! Okay, awesome!” He moved his hand so that he could talk with it then turn the wheel. “So I was thinking something fun, something we’d both be good at. Maybe laser tag? Or even just hanging out at the arcade or-“ Stiles stole a glance at the girl and saw she was pouting. “Ray? What’s wrong?” Without saying anything, she took his right hand from the wheel and moved it back to her thigh. He laughed and said, “You know I need my hand to drive, right?”

“I was so scared today,” she whispered. “It didn’t even really hit me at first, I was in shock. And then I was at Lydia’s listening to her talk about Jackson and- everything she was saying made me think of you and I was so scared so I ran all the way to your place and I couldn’t do anything about the hunters because your dad doesn’t know so I just had to stand with him in your room not being able to help find you- and there was a whole chunk taken out of your wall under the painting I gave you-“

“A-what? Ray-,” he squeezed her thigh, “You aren’t making sense.” He parked in the girl’s driveway behind her mom’s minivan then turned to her. The seatbelt clicked harshly then suddenly her arms were wrapping around his neck. The girl was nearly climbing over the center console now. Oh, how she wished she could just climb onto his lap and have nothing in between them, but they were in her driveway and her mother would surely kill her if she saw something like that.

“I’m so sorry they took you. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry, Stiles.”

“Ray, hey,” He pried her off of himself so that he could look at her face. “This wasn’t your fault.”

The huge bruise on his cheek was a deep purple now. The sight of it caused Ray to cry harder. How could anyone do that to him? If only she hadn’t worn his jersey, those bastard hunters wouldn’t have targeted him. She softly reached up, fingertips lightly traced his jawline on that side of his face as she frowned.

“Hey, hey. I’m okay,” he insisted. His eyes were starting to water from seeing her cry. They twinkled from the soft glow of the porch lights that were left on since Ray’s mother was expecting her home soon.

“Did it hurt?” She knew it did, but she wanted to hear him lie and say it didn’t so that she felt better.

“When I fell from heaven?” Stiles joked.

Oh, so that’s how that pick up line was supposed to go. Ray wanted to laugh, but her chest ached from focusing on his bruise.

The front porch light flickered. It was Ray’s mom’s way of letting her know that she was waiting inside to yell at her for coming home so late. Time to say goodbye. She was about to be grounded for coming home so late with the very boy she wasn’t allowed to be alone with.

A small frustrated sigh left Stiles’s nose. He didn’t want to let her leave like this, not while she was crying. He lightly wiped the tears from her cheeks. She gave him a weak smile before pulling away to sit back in the passenger seat. Her lips pressed together in a tight line as she watched the blinds move slightly. Her mother was watching to see if Ray had come home with Scott like she promised she would. It was obvious she broke the rule Sonia set in place about hanging out with Stiles only if it was in a group setting.

“Thank you for driving me and Lyds. I don’t know what we would have done without you. I know Lydia definitely wouldn’t have rammed her car into the side of the building.”

“Yeah, well-,” he shrugged and looked down at his hands. “My dad said I was stupid to let you leave like that. And anyway, I’m the driver of the group. If I don’t do that, then what else am I good for?”

“What do you mean? You were amazing on the field today. You won the game for us,” she said softly.

“No-,” the boy shook his head, “I didn’t do anything the first three quarters.”

“But you scored the last three shots and one of those was the winning shot. You were like-MVP of the game. A hero.”

Stiles looked up at her in disbelief. “My dad said that too.”

“Your dad is pretty smart. The county wouldn’t have elected him sheriff if he wasn’t.”

Stiles just shrugged in response. He loved his dad, of course. He just couldn’t let himself believe that he was the hero of anything. They lived in a town where supernatural disasters seemed to be around every corner, and Stiles was just. . human.

Ray’s hand found it’s way to his. She frowned and said, “I’m sorry I missed so much of it.”

“You were busy saving Isaac, doing things I couldn’t do. I get it.”

“And you were busy making the whole town proud.”

“Anyone could have-“

“No one else did, Stiles. You did.” The boy continued to pout, so the girl went on, “Hey, Stilinski, you’re gonna have to start learning how to just accept my compliments.” His pout was cute, but she would rather see his smile.

“I’m not like you and Scott. I can’t-“ The girl’s hands traveled to his stomach. He jolted from the feathery touch, “What are you-“ She laughed as he squirmed. Finally seeing a smile on his face was like reaching the top of a mountain during an eight mile hike. “Stop! Stop! No tickling!”

Ray pulled her hands back and let him cool off for a second. “Just wanted to see your smile before I have to go face my mom. I’m probably going to be grounded until summer.”

The porch light flickered yet again. Her mother’s way of telling her to hurry the hell up. She really didn’t want to walk outside in her slippers to yell at her daughter just before midnight for all the neighbors to hear, but she would if this went on much longer.

“Yeah, you should probably head in before she comes out here and kills me,” the boy said, tapping his steering wheel.

“Hmm, yeah, probably should. . .”

Both teens just sat in silence. Neither of them wanted the night to end, but here they were already on the last page, refusing to read the last paragraph. It’s not like they would never see each other again. Being grounded and the No Stiles rule had never stopped them before. Their moments alone seemed so few and far between. Even this moment wasn’t truly alone since her mother was on the other side of that door. The clock on the Jeep’s dash read 11:57. She had only three minutes before she was breaking curfew, but knowing Stiles, that time was bound to be slightly off.

“Okay,” Ray whispered as she opened the passenger door. “Yup. Gonna go face reality. Thanks for the ride, Stilinski!”

Her sneakers dragged along the walkway. There was this odd tightness in her chest, not just nerves from facing her mom, but something worse. It was like she was forgetting something, but she didn’t know what.

The driver’s side door of the jeep opened and slammed shut. Footsteps came running toward her, beating against the pavement faster than her own nervous heartbeat. She turned around to ask Stiles what was wrong. Knowing this town, anything could have happened in the three seconds they had been apart.

She was dragged to him with enough force that their bodies collided. Before she could react or even readjust her footing, his lips desperately crashed into her’s. It was like he has been holding his breath that whole time and finally, now he could release. Her eyes went wide from shock then she closed them to focus on everything else. Her hands had been caught between their chests. She clutched onto his shirt to balance herself.

His lips tasted salty, probably from all the sweating he did during the game. It should have been gross, but Ray found herself wanting more. His hands roamed her back then landed on her hips and squeezed, pulling her against him. She gasped out of shock again, not expecting to be handled like that. Her feet tripped over his. She had to grab onto his arm to balance herself.

When he pulled away, she was finally able to steady her footing. He let go of her hips and stepped back. Her heart started to beat again now that she was getting over the initial shock of it all.

Stiles started backing away. His hand rubbed over his head nervously. “Uhm-sorry! Sorry-I just- uh- I forgot to say goodnight.”

“Is-is that how we say goodnight now?” Ray asked, sounding completely out of it. She couldn’t help the mischievous smile forming on her lips. The boy backing away from her couldn’t seem to form a complete sentence.

“No-I just- you know it’s like-we-and uh-“

“Stiles-,” she took the boy’s hand and whispered in his ear, “I still have to tell you goodnight too, don’t I?”

“Well, ha, I uh- guess it would be rude if you didn’t say it back, huh?”

Ray stood on the tips of her toes to meet the boy at his height. She left the softest of kisses on his lips. Her hand gave him one last squeeze before letting him go.

Once inside, Ray noticed her whole family was sitting in the living room, even their two cats. Kika hopped down from the couch to come purr at Ray’s ankles. Lapu was being squished by Danny who was using the cat to dry the tears on his cheeks.

“Looks like Stiles got home safe,” Jayden deadpanned.

“It’s good you guys found that boy. Two tragedies in one night would have just been-,” Marcus paused and let out a heavy sigh. “I just can’t believe this.”

“Two?” Ray looked to her mother for answers.

“Honey,” Sonia guided her daughter to sit down on the couch. “They pronounced Jackson. . .dead on arrival at the hospital.”

“But-“

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. We did all we could until the medics go there.” She rubbed her daughters back then kissed her temple.

“No, Mom, listen-“

“I just don’t understand how it happened,” Danny said, sounding broken. His father saved the cat from being crushed then pulled Danny into a tight hug.

“Jackson’s-,” Ray tried again, only to be interrupted by Marcus.

“He was such a good kid. Bright future ahead of him.”

“He’s alive!” Ray yelled out.

Danny gasped and shoved his dad away slightly. “What?”

“They saved him. He’s-,” Ray didn’t know how to say it with everyone staring right at her. Her mother knew the full story, but Jayden only knew about sea nymphs. Danny only had suspicions from what he saw on that video. Marcus was completely in the dark.

She looked to her mother with pleading eyes, hoping she’d be able to read between the lines. “He’s saved. He’s _fixed_.”

Sonia nodded slowly. “So he’s not a murdering lizard anymore?”

“M-mom?!” Ray gasped.

Marcus chuckled. “You think she didn’t tell me?”

“He’s my husband,” Sonia said with a shrug. “I don’t keep anything from him.” Marcus smiled and kissed her on the top of her head.

Danny sniffled and wiped his tears. “He’s alive?”

“Yeah, yeah he’ll probably even be back to school Monday,” Ray told him.

“Thank god,” he mumbled, “That son of a bitch still owes me new lacrosse gloves.”

Though he was joking, it was obvious by the redness in his eyes that he had been crying the whole night. Ray couldn’t fathom what it must have felt like to think his best friend was dead. Hopefully, they’d make it through high school without any more scares like that.

“Wait a minute-,” Jayden said, putting down his phone for once to look at his family, “Murdering lizard?!”

“It’s called a kanima,” Danny said, surprising Ray with what he knew.

“Since the cats out of the bag, Scott’s a werewolf,” Ray added.

“A were-what? Scott? Our neighbor Scott?” Jayden looked to his mother and stepfather for confirmation.

Marcus laughed and asked, “Is there another Scott you know?”

“Holy shit!”

“Jayden!” Sonia chastised. “Watch your tongue, and don’t you dare tell Mason any of this! This stays in the family.”

“Werewolf,” Jayden whispered. “That’s so cool. Way cooler than sea nymph.”

“Hey!” Ray reached out to slap her brother’s arm. Her mother held her back.

“That’s enough, Jayden,” Marcus warned. “You shouldn’t talk like that. You will be a sea nymph one day too.”

The boy’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He clearly hadn’t thought about that. “Oh, shit!"

“Jayden!” Sonia yelled. “Language!”

The following Monday, Ray was clutching a freshly washed jersey in her hands as she paced behind a powder blue jeep in the school parking lot. The owner of the jeep was supposed to meet her there at the beginning of lunch. Minutes felt like hours. After three minutes went by, Ray was sure he wasn’t coming.

And why should he? He knew exactly what was coming. Her text to him hadn’t exactly been original.

We need to talk.

That was code for this is over. Done-zo. No more. Sayonara, amigo. It was fun while it lasted.

When he finally burst through the front doors of the school, Ray wished he hadn’t. Maybe it would have been best if he just didn’t show and they left things unsaid. She was the one who initiated this talk, but she didn’t think she had it in her to say what needed to be said.

“Sorry I’m late,” Stiles said as he yanked his keys from his pocket. “Let’s go get shakes.”

“Stiles, wait-“ When the boy stopped to look at her, the words got caught in her throat. Her hand tightened so hard on the jersey it started to cramp.

The painful look in her eyes must have given it away. He licked his lips then sighed in frustration. “Look, before you say anything, you should probably know that we’re thinking the same thing.”

“So you talked to Scotty too?” Ray assumed.

Last night Ray had gone over to Scott’s house to cheer him up. Allison decided to break things off with him. She claimed she needed to figure herself out, which wasn’t a bad idea. They had all been through a lot, Allison even more so with the loss of her mother. Scott understood that, but he was still heartbroken. Through all their trials and errors the past few months, Scott had thought that in the end, he and Allison would end up together. The saddest part of it all was, Scott still thought they would be together one day. He thought Allison would figure herself out then come back to him and they’d have that big movie scene kiss where they proclaim their love for each other.

Her best friend’s world was falling apart. Ray couldn’t bring herself to mention her good news, her Stiles news. They were the two constants in his life. For now, they needed to stay that way, stay just Ray and Stiles, his two best friends. Not Ray and Stiles, his two best friends that happened to be dating.

Stiles looked like he was about to fall apart in the school parking lot, “Can we please get milkshakes while we talk about it?”

Who would say no to that?

The two sat in silence in the Shakey’s parking lot. They only had ten more minutes of their lunch break. Neither planned on going to their afternoon classes. Once they left the jeep, it would all be different, or rather, back to what it once was months ago.

Stiles angrily bit his straw. “You know what he said? He said, ‘At least you and Ray will always be the same.’ Like, come on, man! What did he expect me to say next? ‘Actually, dude, the only thing you are sure of in your life is a facade because I made out with our mutual best friend’? I couldn’t tell him, not after he started crying.”

“He started crying with you too?” Ray cringed. “This is really bad. You know, he doesn’t want to move on. He wants to wait for her.”

“God, how long do you think that’ll take?”

“She wasn’t at school today. . A couple months maybe? I don’t know. I’ve never taken a break in a relationship before. But hey, last time they took a break it didn’t last very long!”

“Yeah. . Hey! What if we just- waited until they got back together? That way we aren’t the world’s worst best friends for ripping the carpet out from under him, ya know?”

Ray pouted as she played with the lid of her cup. This was the exact thought she was having when she had asked Stiles to talk, but that didn’t mean it’s what she wanted to do. It just felt like the right thing to do, for the sake of their friend’s sanity. But still. . .they already done so much waiting.

She had to ask, “Wait to tell him or wait like-in general?”

“I wouldn’t want to keep anything from my best friend,” Stiles admitted.

“No yeah!” Ray said quickly. “You’re right. I don’t want to keep anything from Scotty either! I just. . .” She licked her lips as she watched Stiles take a sip of his shake. He looked from the window back to her, catching her stare. Her whole face heated up as she cleared her throat. “Um-so like- back to just being enemies?”

Stiles scoffed. “As if we were ever-“

“Gosh, I just can’t stand being in this car with you,” Ray day dramatically, making Stiles roll his eyes. Her acting was exaggerated to show that’s all it was, an act. That was all it ever had been. “What would my mother say if she saw me hanging out with Stiles Stilinski, the Troublemaker?”

“What would my father say if he saw me hanging out with Raymona Nerine, the Instigator.”

Ray gasped and put a hand over her heart. “When have I ever instigated!”

“Uh, try always! Half the time we get into trouble it’s because you tell me I can’t do something and I just have to prove you wrong.”

“Well maybe if you would admit I’m always right, we wouldn’t have that issue.”

“But you aren’t always right.” Stiles smirked. “I’m always right.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “Square root of 961?”

“31,” Stiles answered easily.

“Capital of Delaware?”

“Dover.”

“Damn,” Ray whispered. “You are just a walking encyclopedia at this point.”

“Well, Wikipedia is really easy to get lost in at 3 am when I can’t sleep.” He meant the words to come off as a joke, but they concerned the girl beside him.

She put her hand on his knee and said, “You know you can take a break on the medication if it’s not letting you sleep.”

His cheeks went pink. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I know,” he let out a shaky breath. “I know, it’s just, we’ve been going through a lot and I needed to be super focused and like- spacing out and fidgeting constantly isn’t exactly attractive-“

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Ray sat up in the passenger seat and turned to face him. “Because I knew you for years without the medicine, you know that right? I liked you before you were prescribed anything.”

His big brown eyes scanned her face in disbelief. “You’ve liked me for that long?”

“N-no!” Ray sat back in her chair, taking her hand off of him. “I meant like-like friends, but okay, actually, yeah I didn’t have a crush on you for like four months of seventh grade, but in my defense, you had the skater boy hair and you would like-throw paper at me in class and- and then you started dating Beth-“

Stiles raised an eyebrow at her. “I dated her for like three weeks. I wouldn’t even consider it dating, it was more like- she just used me to carry her books and look cool for having a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but it was real to me because I cried myself to sleep listening to Teardrops On My Guitar by Taylor Swift on repeat that entire three weeks.”

“That is. . . The sweetest thing I have ever heard,” Stiles said as he placed a hand on her cheek.

“Shut up, Stilinski. That deep dark secret does not leave this jeep! I haven’t forgotten that you wore the same four pairs of underwear the entirety of middle school, and I will not hesitate to put it on a flyer and post it around the entire town.”

Stiles couldn’t stop his smile from forming. “I might have been a loser who wore the same four pairs of underwear, but you like that loser, so who’s the loser now, huh?”

“Both of us?” Ray guessed. The two laughed. Stiles flicked a fry at her. She shoved him, but instead of taking her hand off his shoulder, she slid it up to the back of his neck, her thumb swiping over the small bruise on his neck. Stiles went stiff then adjusted in his seat. The girl sighed and took her hand away. “Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay.”

“Friends don’t do that kinda stuff,” Ray reminded him. “You don’t want to keep anything from Scott. Me either! I totally get it. You’ll just have to call me out if I get too touchy, okay?”

She hoped she didn’t mess things up. Ray could wait, she didn’t want to, but she could do it. Scott and Allison would get together in a couple of weeks, then they could break the news to him. It wasn’t the end of the world, it was just a few weeks of no kissing or touching or anything friends don’t morally do. Ray went 16 years without that kinda stuff. She could go for a few more weeks.

Stiles was tapping on his steering wheel. He was oozing frustration and anger. She hoped it wasn’t toward her.

He took in a big breath through his nose then said, “You know what? No.”

Ray braced herself for impact. He was going to yell at her for making things awkward. She held her breath and winced. When no other words came, she peaked at him from the corner of her eye and saw him chewing on his nails.

“Stiles, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I-“

“It’s not that. I want you to-I want us to-I mean. Ugh.” He rubbed his hand over his hair. “It’ll only be a few weeks of Scott not knowing. And he already hasn’t known since the station, so why not. . . Not tell him until he’s ready?” Stiles looked to Ray with hopeful eyes.

Just. . Not tell Scott. . Would that be selfish? Didn’t they deserve to be a little selfish after all they went through? The idea was starting to grow on her, and the guilt was dwindling by the second.

“But keep. . Keep like. . hanging out just us?” She asked.

“Just until Scott and Allison are back together. Then we’ll tell him!”

“But, if we aren’t telling Scott, then are we- keeping it from everyone?”

Stiles slumped in his seat. “Didn’t think of that.”

The girl beside him looked out the passenger window. The lunch crowd at Shakey’s had dwindled. The jeep was one of the only cars in the lot. She couldn’t believe what she was about to say.

“That sounds. . Kinda fun.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Wanna go to the preserve and make out until school gets out?” They only had a little over an hour before their parents expected them home.

His eyes were practically twinkling now. “Marry me.”

“Stiles, we’re _sixteen_ ,” Ray emphasized. She picked up the fry bag and said, “Ask me again in five years, then I’ll consider it. Now hand me your trash.”

As he watched her walk their empty milkshakes to the trash, he smiled and started planning his next five-year plan in his head. When she hopped back in the jeep, she placed and excited kiss on his cheek. Fives years could not come fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! We did it! Two whole seasons of teen wolf fan fiction..... I didn’t think I would be here at 23, but hey, quarantine made us all crazy. And it’s only about to get worse because Season 3 is such a wild ride.
> 
> Hope your week is going good!! The house we moved into last week is definitely a fixer-upper (more than we realized before moving in) Something new goes wrong every day! It’s...exciting I guess. Also, I might go back to work next week (finally). I can’t wait to get back to normal. Or, the new normal.  
> Also, side note. My teenage brother got a kitten! He’s had it for three days and hasn’t chosen a name yet! She is so cute though...I love her (don’t tell my dog I said that)
> 
> AND I can’t wait for Season 3!! S3 Teen Wolf is just *chef’s kiss*.  
> What character are you excited to see in season 3? Old or new! I love Kira!! I can’t wait to see how her and Ray get along. . Also that one scene where Scott thinks the wasabi is guacamole...himbo...I love him so much.
> 
> Don’t eat mouthfuls of wasabi, guys, and as always.. thank you for reading this far into the story (and my author’s note) Stay safe out there!!!
> 
> \--THE TITLE OF THIS STORY WILL BE CHANGING TO "Current" SOMETIME THIS WEEK!!!!--


	25. Rite of Passage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray comes back from her summer away. A lot is changing in the town of Beacon Hills. They've been four months monster free, and it's the start of their junior year, the perfect time to try new things. Though, trying new things can be hard when they have to be kept secret. Scott McCall still isn't over his ex, who is back in town. Because of this, his best friends have decided to keep their secret going. When two mysterious new threats come into town, Stiles and Ray begin to wonder how long they can keep this facade going before it blows up in their face.  
> Oh! And don't forget to study for the PSAT in January. Junior year is one of the most important times for college applications. Supernatural threats, a secret relationship, extra studying, and cheer practice? How is Raymona going to hold it all together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~WELCOME TO THE START OF SEASON 3, FOLKS!~  
> I am SO excited to be doing this! (Hence the early update) There are some interesting dynamics this season. We get Allison/Isaac later on, I mean, hands down the hottest couple of the show (my love for Daniel Sharman might be making me a little bias at the moment, but come ON! those two...whew). Ray is getting a deeper understanding of her powers. 3B Ray...I can not. I'm just so excited to share this all with you guys.
> 
> This is a 14k chapter, so grab your snacks, a cup of tea, a blanket. The usual! :)

Sonia Mahealani’s minivan wasn’t even at a full stop when Ray slid the side door open and jumped out onto the lawn. Sonia’s scolding fell on deaf ears as her daughter raced across her lawn to the house next door.

“Raymona! Come back here and get your suitcase!”

Marcus chuckled then looked to his stepson in the backseat to say, “You’d think you two were gone for years, not just a couple months with the way she is acting.”

“A lot can happen in a couple of months,” Jayden replied. The soft smile on his face as he watched his sister race over to their neighbor’s home grew ten times bigger when the neighbor boy opened his front door to embrace the girl in a warm hug. It was good to see Scott. Jayden couldn't wait to see his own friends.

“Jayden,” Sonia said quickly, “You better have not changed too much in the past two months.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, Mom.” He wouldn’t be sixteen for another year. The only new exciting change for him would be going to high school every morning instead of middle school.

Meanwhile, the neighbor boy and Ray were racing up to his room so that they could catch up with everything that happened over summer. Ray started by telling Scott stories about her dad and the underwater community he showed her. There were just a few other mermaids around her age and at least twenty older ones who were guiding them. Her father taught her about all the different abilities sea nymphs could possess depending on their lineage and skillsets. Most chose a few abilities that came naturally to them and practiced all their lives to master them.

All summer Ray had spent time practicing one certain ability. She sat Scott down at the foot of his bed then stood in front of him with a huge grin. He mirrored her happiness.

“Well? Show me!” Scott said excitedly.

Ray took a deep breath then held out her two hands. A light blue light zapped between her fingertips, soon followed by other strings of blue that all weaved in on each other, almost resembling a spider web. This web sizzled with electricity.

“Is that-“

“Lightning!” Ray said as the light suddenly disappeared. “My dad does this cool move where he uses it as a whip. I can’t do that yet, but I can sort of throw it at people! So now whenever there’s a shady creature lurking around Beacon Hills-“

“There won’t be,” Scott insisted.

“Okay, but in case, now I can protect myself! And maybe even knock it out!”

“Do all sea nymphs _bestow the power of Thor_ or just those who are worthy?” Scott teased, mimicking the fancy accents from the Marvel movie they had all seen in theaters at the end of sophomore year.

“You are such a nerd,” Ray teased. “And it sounds like you’ve been hanging out with Stiles way too much.”

“Actually, it’s Isaac who is the Marvel nerd,” Scott corrected. “Stiles is the DC nerd.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize nerd branches off into so many different specifications,” Ray said with a laugh. “But no, our powers depend on which of the fifty original Nerieds we are decedent of. This girl I met could control water! Like she made this whole giant wave crash over a rock and- it was so cool!”

“Sounds like your dad taught you a lot!”

“Yeah, it was all kind of overwhelming at first. That’s why Jayden and I decided to stay an extra month down there.” Ray put her hand on her hips and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on the pile of books by his bathroom door. She couldn’t help but ask, “What are those for?”

“Oh-,” Scott got all flustered and scratched the back of his neck. “That’s my done pile. I’ve read fourteen books so far this summer.”

“Fourteen!” Ray went over to pick one up. The title, White Fang made her chuckle. “No wonder Stiles has been blowing up my phone all summer- you probably haven’t even left your room!"

“Actually, Stiles and I practice lacrosse every weekday from ten to twelve.”

“Ten to. . Who are you and what have you don’t with my best friend?” Ray nudged the boy’s shoulder.

“I’m just-I’m trying to be better,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, that’s pretty cool of you, McCall. I actually can’t believe you’ve got Stiles on a strict practice schedule.”

“He complains about it being too early every day, but any later and it just gets too hot to play.”

 _Yeah_ , Ray thought, _wouldn’t want Stiles to break a sweat in this summer heat_. Her mind drifted back to May when she would hang out on the bleachers and draw while the boys practiced together. If she was lucky, Stiles would wear one of those shirts with the sleeves slashed off, leaving his entire side exposed.

“So!” Ray cleared her throat, “Uh- what’s the plan? Movie night?”

Scott winced. “Yeah, about that. I didn’t know you were coming this early in the day. Isaac is sort of on the way here to shoot hoops for a bit.”

“I’m down to shoot hoops!” She said excitedly. Ray wasn’t the best at basketball, but growing up on a street with only boys as her neighbors provided her with enough skill and interest in it to survive at least a couple rounds. Besides, she was so excited to see her friends again, she probably would have done anything Scott suggested. Even ice skating.

Okay, maybe not ice skating. . .

The following few days were jammed pack between catching up with Danny, Lydia, and Gabby, Ray barely had time to prepare herself mentally for what she had promised Lydia she would do. Ray officially decided to try out for the cheer team, but thankfully she wouldn’t be doing it alone. Gabby was ecstatic about the idea and decided to join her. Knowing both Lydia and Gabby would be there took some of the pressure off, but Ray was still nervous. Growing up, Ray only had one girl friend that she got along with: Gabby. The cheer team was all girls, and if it was anything like the movies, Ray was worried she would get along with any of the other girls.

Cheer tryouts were a week long. The first two days were spent learning the routine. They had a day off in between, which Ray still spent practicing with Lydia and Gabby, then the last two days the girls were being judged for every move they made. Lydia’s only advice to Gabby and Ray was to smile the entire time. To her surprise, Ray made the cut! Gabby did as well, which was less surprising. She used to take dance classes, and her smile was very bright all the time. She was a born leader of cheer.

Ray though? While she wanted to be the type of person who was cheerful and athletic, she wasn’t so sure. The cheer coach Kacey must have seen the determination in her and pitied her because Ray was pretty sure she was a second off the entire routine.

Either way, she was thrilled to make the team with her two best girl friends. They were measured that very day for their uniforms, which would cost a fortune. For some reason, Ray’s mother didn’t even bat an eyelash at the price on the paper she had to sign.

“My little Raymona, a cheerleader! Ugh! So cute!” Sonia pinched her daughter’s cheek.

“Mom, stop,” Ray begged.

“That doesn’t sound very cheerful,” her mother teased.

The whole next week the girls were having sleepovers to get to know each other. Lydia hosted the first one since she was team captain, and all the other sleepovers snowballed off of that. Some of the freshman girls knew Ray’s younger brother and told her plenty of embarrassing stories about him in class. Everyone was instant friends. It was nothing like they talked about in movies with girls being mean.

Ray was having so much fun with her new friends that she completely forgot about her old ones. When she had come home from Tracy’s house to grab clothes so that she could go to Mariah’s, her neighbor knocked on her bedroom window to be let in. She smiled brightly at the boy, not having seen him in over a week due to her busy schedule.

“Scotty! Hey! I won’t be here long.”

“That’s okay. Just wanted to make sure you were still going with me to get my tattoo tomorrow.”

“Of course! We’re leaving here at one to grab lunch first, right?”

Scott was studying the football schedule she had thumbtacked to her wall. “Yeah. . One. . Since when do you follow Beacon Hills football?”

“Since Lydia pulled a few strings and miraculously got me on the cheer team. That’s why I’ve been so busy. . Getting to know the other girls and all. Oh! That reminds me,” Ray searched around her desk for a minute then found a baby blue nail polish. “Brenda wanted to borrow this color.”

“Brenda Solis? The senior?”

Ray cracked a smile and nudged the boy. “You know, Scotty, she’s single and you are so her type. Want me to bring you up in conversation tonight? See what she says?”

He shook his head no, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks. “I’m still kinda hoping. . .”

“Allison comes back?” Ray finished.

“Yeah. Is that pathetic?”

Four months had passed since Scott and Allison broke up. She had gone to France to figure herself out, away from the drama of Beacon Hills. A lot of bad things happened last semester. Some of those bad things were caused by Allison’s actions. She had stabbed Isaac and shot a dozen arrows into Boyd and Erica. That night at the station, she probably would have shot Ray if it had come down to it.

Allison Argent sort of scared Ray. The girl hadn’t forgiven her completely for telling Lydia about everything. When she left for France, the two weren’t on speaking terms. Ray felt terrible because her best friend was in love with this girl. She wished she could forgive and forget, but every time she thought of Allison, she thought of that crossbow staring her down.

For other reasons, more selfish ones, Ray had hoped Scott would have been over Allison by the time she got back from Santa Cruz. She and Stiles were still waiting to tell Scott everything so they could resume- whatever they were. But Scott was going through a breakup, a messy one to say the least. He needed his two best friends, not a drastic change in dynamic.

If getting back with Allison was the only thing that would get Scott out of this funk, then Ray would just have to deal with that. She and Allison would mend things, eventually. . Hopefully.

“That’s not pathetic. I've never seen you talk that way about another girl. You didn't just love her, you were in love. I think those two are different, at least, that's what I've learned from movies." What Ray neglected to tell him was that Allison got back a couple of days ago. Lydia was late to practice the other day because she was helping her unpack. When Lydia asked Ray if she wanted to come help, Ray panicked and said she had to help her stepdad move a dresser. Lyida looked at Ray like she was crazy, but she didn't question it.

Allison being back caused Ray to act a little irrational. Even though Ray had told Lydia she was nervous to see Allison again, Lydia still offered to make the double date she was dragging Allison on tomorrow night a triple date so that Ray could tag along. Ray used the excuse of things being awkward so that she didn’t have to go. In reality, she just didn’t want to go on a date with a boy who wasn’t. . .

The one pulling up in the powder blue jeep outside of Scott’s house right now. Ray smiled at the sound of the squeaking brakes. She still hadn’t seen him yet, only a few secret calls a couple of times. Last night she snuck into Tracy’s backyard away from the sleepover to talk with him for almost an hour. The girls had teased her relentlessly, but she refused to tell them who it was on the phone.

“Stiles and I are going for pizza. Wanna come?”

Ray thought about it for a second. “Do you think you guys could drop me off at Mariah’s after?”

“I think Stiles would drive you to the east coast if you asked.”

Scott carried her overnight bag for her as they climbed down the tree. Once they were both on the ground, they raced to the jeep, winner would get front seat. The two were laughing and shoving each other the entire way, ending up touching the handle at the same time.

“I won!” Ray insisted. “I get front seat!”

“No, I won! Besides, front is my designated spot!” Scott pouted.

“Stiles!” Ray turned to the boy. Her heart stopped for a second. There was a lot more hair poking out from under his Mets cap than there usually was. She quickly cleared her throat and went on. “Your jeep, you pick.”

“Oh, that’s not fair!” Scott whined. “He’ll pick you because you’re a girl.”

Ray scoffed. “No, he won’t! He’ll pick me because I won the race, right Stiles.”

“Uh-um,” Stiles looked between the two. “Ray-“

“Yes!” She cheered.

“-get in the back.”

Her jaw dropped. Scott let out a cheer then opened the door and moved the seat for her to climb back there. Ray scowled at Stiles but respected his decision.

“I invited Ray to pizza. Hope you’re cool with that.” Scott said as he buckled in. “Figured you wouldn’t mind since you haven’t shut up about missing her all summer.”

“Dude!” Stiles whined.

“Awe!” Ray leaned forward to pinch Stiles’s cheek. “You missed me?”

He swatted her hand away. “You were gone for way longer than usual! You missed the firework show.”

“Yeah, Stiles lit off six this year before his dad found us!” Scott said.

“Well, sorry I missed our annual illegal activities. I was a little busy discovering an underwater community of mermaids.”

“A what?!”

“Eyes on the road, Stilinski!”

“Sure didn’t miss your backseat driving!”

“ _Guys_. . .don't start already!” Scott begged.

The next afternoon, the three were on their way to the tattoo shop after having lunch together again. Ray sat in the backseat behind Scott. She usually sat in the middle, but she wanted a better view of the driver. Yesterday Stiles had worn a hat the entire time they had pizza. She could tell his hair was longer, but now seeing it styled was. . Wow.

In middle school, his hair was long enough to cover the back of his neck. He shaved it off the summer after eighth grade and kept it that way until now. And it looked good. Really good. So good that Ray couldn’t take her eyes off of him which is why she had to move behind Scott, not wanting her neighbor to catch her openly staring at the driver.

“Take a left here,” Scott told Stiles as he turned down the music. “It’s on the left up here. There’s a parking lot in the back alley.”

“Back alley! That sounds. . . Dangerous,” Stiles grumbled. He was very against Scott getting a tattoo and thinking up every reason for him not to get one.

The lot in the back alley was paved with signs that said it was reserved parking for the shop. Plants were surrounding a bench for people to smoke. The dumpster was hidden away behind a brick wall. Everything seemed swept up and clean.

“This doesn’t look dangerous, or even sketchy!” Ray said with a smile.

“I spent days looking for the right place,” Scott admitted. “My mom would have never let me get it if it was at some hole in the wall place.”

“God, your mom is so cool!” Ray said. “My mom won’t let me pierce my nose, or my belly button, or even my tongue! I told her no one would ever see my tongue, but she refuses. I can’t even imagine what she would say if I asked for a tattoo. . Hey! When we turn eighteen, we should all-“

“Nope,” Stiles said quickly as he shut off the engine.

“Just a small-“

“Not. Happening.” Stiles got out of the jeep and slammed the door.

Scott turned around in the passenger seat and said, “I’ll get a friendship tattoo with you, Ray.” He got out of the jeep then moved the seat forward for her to climb out with a hand for her to grab, always such a gentleman.

“Oh my gosh, we should get little bikes since we used to ride to school together.”

“I like that idea.”

“I don’t,” Stiles said, looking pale.

“Well you aren’t invited anymore, Stilinski,” Ray said as she reached up on the tips of her toes to mess up his hair, not letting herself miss out on the opportunity to touch it.

“Aye! Whoa!” Stiles swatted her hand away then smoothed his fingers through the front of his hair. It calmed down to its previous amount of wildness.

Scott pushed passed them. “Guys, come on! My appointment is in five minutes.”

“Yeah? And? We’re here, aren’t we?” Stiles stopped outside the front of the shop and looked up at the sign. “You know, we could still just go to the arcade and-“

Ray took his hand and dragged him into the shop. The bell dinged a couple of times as the three teens clamored in. The lady with short bangs and green highlights at the front desk gave them a quizzical look that made the teens unsure if they had stepped into the right place.

The woman begrudgingly took the sucker out of her mouth then poked her head into the tall curtains behind her. “Tom, there’s a buncha kids here.”

A burly man with a long beard came through a sheet of curtains that led to a back office. He took one look at the young teens and sighed. They were obviously not 18. Ray squeezed Stiles’s hand to make herself feel better from the sudden nerves kicking in. He squeezed back.

“Hi,” Scott said, charming the man with his warm smile. “I was here the other day with my mom so that she could sign a paper for my appointment today. I’m Scott, Scott McCall.”

“Right, right,” the man said, now remembering Scott’s face. “And those two?”

“We’re just watching,” Ray said sweetly.

“If you call watching closing my eyes and praying for it to be over soon,” Stiles grumbled lowly.

“Well let me show you three to the back room,” the artist offered, sounding unsure about letting the other two kids back. “There’s only one guest chair.”

“That’s fine,” Stiles said causally. “Ray can have it. Probably just gonna pace anyway.”

Ray collapsed into the waiting chair with a huge smile. Scott was getting situated in the giant tattooing chair. He pulled a crumpled up piece of notebook paper from his pocket to show to the artist. Ray snapped one last picture of Scott pre-tattoo. She smiled down at her phone.

They grow up so fast.

“This is what I’ve been wanting. Just two bands around my arm, one bigger than the other.”

“Boy, it's a good thing you drew me a picture,” the artist said before handing Scott back the paper so he could start sanitizing.

Stiles was going though the tattoo books and opened one up to a page with a creature who looked scarily similar to the kanima. “Hey, Scott, sure you don't want something like this?” Scott glared at him. Stiles quickly closed the book. “Too soon? Yeah.” After. Few seconds, Stiles was talking again, “I don't know, man, are you sure about this? I mean, these things are pretty permanent, you know?”

“I'm not changing my mind,” Scott insisted.

“Okay, but why two bands?”

“I just like it,” Scott said with a shrug. Ray nodded in agreement, causing Stiles to glare at her for a second.

“What? I think it’ll look cool,” Ray said with excitement in her eyes.

“So what if it looks cool? Don't you think your first tattoo should have some sort of meaning, you know, or something?” Stiles asked Scott.

“Getting a tattoo means something,” Scott replied.

“I don't think that's-“

The artist spoke up, “He’s right, tattooing goes back thousands of years. The Tahitian word 'tatua' means 'to leave a mark'- like a rite of passage.”

“Yeah, you see?” Scott said, “He gets it.”

“He's covered in tattoos, Scott, literally.”

“Stiles, will you hand me a magazine?” Ray asked, batting her lashes.

“Don’t you have two working legs?”

“Why use mine when you are already using yours?” She quipped. The boy rolled his eyes then went across the room to pick out a magazine for her.

The artist raised his eyebrow as he watched Stiles nervously tap his foot on the ground over at the magazine stand. “Is he gonna be jittery the whole time?”

“Most likely,” Scott admitted. “I’m sorry. Is he bugging you?”

“I can knock him out if needed,” Ray offered.

“Hopefully that won’t be necessary, but I’ll keep that in mind,” the artist said. “Okay, you ready? You ain't got any problems with needles, do you?” He turned into the machine. It was louder than Ray expected.

Scott shook his head. “Nope.”

Stiles had come back from the magazine stand to hand Ray a pile of assorted magazines. He had picked out half the stand. “I tend to get a little squeamish though-,” Stiles winced as the needle hit Scott’s skin. He started to tilt. “so. .-“ A loud thud caused Ray to jump. Her pile of magazines was tossed to the ground in a rush to get to her friend. Stiles was passed out on the floor. 

The front desk lady sighed deeply then said, “There are ice packs in this mini fridge over here.”

A couple of hours later, the artist was nearly done with the thicker of the two bands. Stiles was getting antsy in the waiting chair, and not just because he hadn’t taken his medication that day. Ray had taken it upon herself to sit in his lap to keep him in place so that he wouldn’t fall over again. She was sideways so that she could hold the ice pack against his head and still watch over Scotty. The ice pack they were using was nearly melted now, and probably not doing much. She set it on the counter then wiped her freezing wet hands across Stiles’s plaid covered shoulder.

“Ugh, gross,” Ray complained. “The things I do for you, Stilinski.” She let out a small squeak as he cupped his hands around hers then brought them to his mouth and blew hot air into his cupped hands, warming not only her hands but also her cheeks. “What are you doing?” Whatever it was felt really. . nice, warm, and way too freaking intimate to be doing in front of Scotty.

“He’s being gross,” Scott commented.

“He’s being sweet,” the front desk lady teased. “Oh, Tommy, why don’t you heat up my hands like that? Don’t you love me?”

The artist grumbled something incoherent in response.

Love, huh? They hadn’t said that word to each other yet. How could they when they hadn’t even told their best friend they were. . Whatever they were. Ray couldn’t just assume she was his girlfriend. Stiles had never called her that himself, and he had never asked her to be. Though, he didn’t deny it when people called him her boyfriend.

Ray studied Stiles’s expression and tried to guess what he was thinking. It was hard not to read his emotions because of her curiosity. There was a hint of embarrassment, in his defense, all eyes in the room were on him. The other emotion was best described as happiness. Stiles was happy a lot. He was happy when he was eating curly fries. He was happy when they were playing Xbox late at night with Scott. He was happy when he and his dad could sit in the living room with their dinners and watch the game.

This happiness seemed different somehow. Ray couldn’t figure it out.

He let her hands go then put his on her hips for just a second before sliding one of them down her thigh until it reached her knee. That’s how he was holding her for the past two hours while she held the ice pack, but there definitely wasn’t this much sliding around and grabbing. Or maybe there had been and Ray just didn’t notice because her hand was freezing and Scott was being stabbed a million times with a needle. Either way, she definitely noticed it now.

She couldn’t decide where to put her own hands. Suddenly nowhere felt appropriate. Where she wanted to put them was in his newly grown out hair, but they were in a room with three other people, and she felt like she had to just keep her hands to herself. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap and watched her friend get repeatedly stabbed. Scott didn’t seem to mind the needle too much. Ray wondered what it felt like.

“Wanna go for a quick walk?” Stiles asked. His hand squeezed her thigh as he spoke. She couldn’t help her fidgeting.

“Last time you tried walking you hit your head,” Ray reminded him.

“Ha, very funny.”

“Maybe you should consider not joining the cross country team, you know, save yourself the embarrassment of having to stand on two feet in front of everyone.”

“He wouldn’t be joining if Coach didn’t require it for lacrosse,” Scott told her.

“True,” Stiles admitted. “And you-“ another squeeze, this time higher up. “-are absolutely crazy for joining voluntarily.”

Was he. . Teasing her? Ray rolled back her shoulders like the jittery feelings were water rolling off her back. She wasn’t going to let Stiles get to her like this.

“Last semester I couldn’t even run a mile. I’m trying to not lose all the progress I’ve made. Besides, it looks great on college apps,” Ray said matter-of-factly.

“Still hoping to get into Santa Cruz?” Scott asked.

“Hoping to get in? Yeah. Prepared to pay to live there? Definitely not.”

“Amen to that,” the front desk lady said. “Just go up to Humbolt. People are just as cool, trees are even prettier. .”

Ray and the woman started chatting about her college experiences for a while after that. By the time Scott’s tattoo was finally done, it was dark out and Stiles’s leg was asleep, though he hadn't complained once. Ray let Stiles stand while Scott’s arm was getting bandaged. Her neighbor was absolutely beaming when they walked out of the shop.

“It looks really good! I can’t wait to see it after your skin isn’t so red,” Ray said as she climbed into the backseat.

“Can we get McDonald's?” Stiles whined.

“You’re the driver,” Ray deadpanned.

He smiled mischievously. “We’re getting McDonald’s.”

Scott groaned as he pulled himself into the passenger seat, “Oh, man.”

Stiles’s playful attitude quickly changed to concern. “You okay?”

“Kinda burns.” Scott adjusted the bandage and winced.

“Yes, you just had your skin stabbed about a hundred thousand times with a needle.”

“Yeah-,” Scott panted “-but I don't think it's supposed to feel like this, oh _fuck_.”

“Scotty, let me see it,” Ray said gently.

“Oh, God. Uh no!” Stiles said in a high pitched voice. “Please don’t. I will pass out again!”

Scott moaned in pain again. “No, it's definitely not supposed to feel like this. Oh, I gotta take this thing off.”

Stiles was begging now. His face went pale. “No, no, no, no, Scott.” Ray leaned forward to help Scott take off the bandage so that he wouldn’t tear it to shreds. Stiles had to look away, “Oh, you guys, please stop.”

Ray gasped as she exposed Scott’s skin beneath the bandaid. It was bright red all around his tattoo, which was to be expected. What she didn’t expect was the ink fizzling away slowly. Scott groaned again through his clenched teeth. The tattoo completely disappeared.

“Whoa,” Stiles whispered.

“Oh, no, what? No, no, come on. It healed!” Scott hit his head against the back of the seat in frustration.

“Ah, thank God. I hated it,” Stiles mumbled. Scott and Ray glared at him. He flinched away from their judgment. “Sorry.”

Twenty minutes later they had gone through the McDonalds drive-thru and were headed home. Scott was clearly sad about his tattoo, but he was trying to pull it together and have a good time with his two best friends. Before yesterday, it had been months since they all hung out together. Ray left for Santa Cruz right after school let out for summer and stayed there twice as long as she usually did. Scott missed having her and her younger brother around all summer. Danny was rarely home to play basketball on the street with him, and Isaac was constantly going on missions to find Erica and Boyd.

At least he had Stiles by his side during it all.

“Nug me,” Stiles demanded, holding his hand out to the girl in the backseat. Ray rolled her eyes and dug through the paper bag for another chicken nugget. She carefully dipped it in the two sauces. The driver spoke again, “Remember! Ranch and then-“

“Barbecue,” she grumbled. “Stiles, I know all your odd eating habits, okay? You don’t have to remind me.” She begrudgingly handed him the nugget.

“This is barbecue and then ranch,” Stiles said with a pout.

“Bite me.”

“Here,” Scott reached around to the backseat and grabbed the bag of food. “I’ll feed the baby. Try not to kill him while he’s driving.”

“Driving me insane,” Ray grumbled.

Stiles scoffed and raised his voice an octave to mock her, “‘ _You’re driving, Stilinski! I’ll hand your nuggets to you!_ ’ Remember that?!”

“That was before you spilled my Sprite all over me!” Ray pouted. The drink only got on her knees and calves which luckily were bare because of her shorts, but all the napkins in the world couldn’t save her from the stickiness left behind from all the sugar.

Scott sighed as they came to a stoplight. “Guys, I don’t want to play mediator tonight.” He frowned and looked at his healed arm.

“Sorry, Scotty,” Ray said clearly then mumbled, “Sorry Stiles.”

“Sorry, _again_ , for spilling your drink on you,” Stiles told her, though the apology didn’t sounded more sarcastic than genuine. They caught eyes in the rearview mirror, a glimmer of mischief in their eyes. They had gotten good at pretending to hate each other while Scott was around before Ray left for Santa Cruz. Now they were a little rusty, but that might have been because Ray couldn’t stop thinking about his hands all over her in the tattoo shop. What the hell was that anyway? Scott had been watching them!

“I would say it’s okay if I wasn’t sticky.” Once they started driving again, Ray changed the subject. “So, Scotty. You uh, hear from Allison?”

“Nah, we agreed to give each other the summer. . . no texts, no calls.”

Stiles joined in, asking, “So then how do you know she won't be back at school then?”

“After everything that happened, I'm not sure she's coming back at all.”

They stopped at yet another red light, causing Ray to roll her eyes in annoyance. It was going to take forever to get home. She just wanted to shower the sticky soda residue off her knees, was that too much to ask?

A small car pulled up next to them. Ray softly smiled, thinking of how her friend Lydia had a car like that. She wondered how that double date was going.

“I think she is,” Stiles told Scott, “I'd say pretty definite, you know. Like one hundred percent.” He nodded to the car next to them.

Ray peered through the cloudy back windows of the jeep and realized that small car was Lydia Martin’s car after all. Allison was seated in the passenger seat, laughing at something Lydia had said. Seeing her caused Ray’s heart to stop. She had the urge to look over her shoulder and expected to see a crossbow pointed at her, but even though she knew logically there was no crossbow behind her, she couldn’t bring herself to even glance. Her heartbeat was thick, deep. Two words, What it? They were stuck at the back of her mind, paralyzing her.

“Oh, my god!” Scott sank in the passenger seat to hide. “Oh-“

His panicked antics were kind of funny to watch. They made Ray feel a little better. Looking away from the window helped too.

“Did I forget to mention she is back in town?” Ray said sheepishly.

Scott sent her an annoyed glare then said, “Can we just drive please, Stiles?”

“Scott, it's a red light,” Stiles said.

“Since when have traffic laws ever stopped you?” Ray asked.

Stiles leaned over Scott and started rolling down the window. “I think we should talk to her, I just think we should say something.”

“No. No, no, Stiles, come on. Oh, my God, dude, no!” Scott panicked and looked back at Ray for help.

Ray tried, “Stiles, I honestly don’t want to-“

It was too late.

“Hey!” Stiles yelled out the window. Lydia looked right at him then sped off, running the red light. “You know, they probably didn't see us.”

“Lydia looked right at you. .”

“Not helping, Nerine!” Stiles aggressively shifted gears as the light turned green.

“Maybe I’d be more helpful if I wasn’t sticky,” Ray grumbled to herself.

“What are you doing?” Scott whined.

“I'm driving," Stiles said, unhelpfully.

“We're right behind them!”

“Okay, well, do you see any turns?”

“I don't want it to look like we're following them.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?”

“I don't know, anything!” Scott yelled. He was clearly too panicked to have any ideas.

Stiles slammed on the brakes. Ray’s hands pushed against the two front seats to keep her seatbelt from choking her. She couldn’t hold in her annoyance anymore. “Are you trying to kill us?!”

“Okay!” Stiles quickly turned around in his seat. Apparently he had been pushed to his limit as well with the bickering. “What the hell is your problem!? I said I was sorry about the soda, and you know, most of it got on my jeep that I have to scrub clean now! So, trust me, I’m more annoyed than you are about it!”

Scott was about to tell Stiles to calm down when he saw the dumbfounded look on Ray’s face. His jaw dropped as he read her chemosignals to check on her.

“Ray, quit thinking about whatever you’re thinking about!” Her neighbor chastised her.

How Scott guessed Ray liked it when Stiles was mad was beyond her. She cleared her throat and felt her cheeks heat up. “I don’t know what you-“

A loud crash cut Ray off. The screams from the girls in the car in front of them could be heard from where the jeep sat fifty feet away. Scott scrambled out of the jeep and sprinted toward Lydia’s car, and Stiles was right behind him. It took Ray an extra second to climb out the back, but she quickly caught up to Stiles’s pace.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked breathlessly.

“It came out of nowhere!” Lydia insisted. Ray pulled the girl in a tight hug.

Stiles was behind Ray asking the other girls, “Are you hurt?”

“It ran right into us,” Lydia explained. “Like, it came straight at us!”

“Are you okay?” Scott asked Allison softly.

“I'm okay,” the girl said with a nod. Her eyes flickered to Ray hugging Lydia then her lips pulled into a forced looking half-smile. One of her dimples dipped in before her tongue grazed the inside of her cheek.

“Well, I'm not okay!” Lydia said. Ray released her grip so Lydia could pace around the car. “I am totally freaking out. How the hell does it just run into us? I saw its eyes right before it hit us. It was like it- it was like it was crazy!”

“No, it was scared,” Scott said as he examined the deer. “Actually. . . Terrified.”

“Let’s call you two a tow truck,” Ray said, rubbing her hand between Lydia’s shoulders as she got out her phone.

Stiles couldn’t help his curiosity. He inched to the front of the vehicle to see how the deer hit them. Lydia hadn’t lied, it really did come right at them. He wrung his hands together nervously then looked around to find his friends had all gone to sit at the side of the road. He jogged back to his jeep to pull it closer to them. Scott saw the other boy leaving and jogged off after him, wanting to get away from his ex to breathe, even if it only lasted a second.

While Lydia was on the phone, Allison had come to stand next to Ray. The sea nymph’s shoulder’s tensed, but she took a breath and forced herself to relax. This day had to happen at some point. It was either now or at school tomorrow.

She forced a closed-lipped smile to Allison. The girl returned one awkwardly.

“So, France,” Ray said slowly.

“Yeah! France. . .,” Allison looked down at her feet. “So, Santa Cruz?”

“Yeah! No yeah, Santa Cruz. .” Ray scratched the back of her head. “How was uh, the date?”

“Oh we didn’t- we haven’t gotten to it yet. Probably won’t now, hopefully not at least,” Allison offered an awkward laugh then added, “Yeah, not exactly ready to uh- get back out there.”

“You didn’t meet anyone in Paris? No grand romance story in the city of love?”

Allison let out a real laugh this time, “No, no definitely not. I just stuck to myself and worked through some things.”

Ray nodded then looked over her shoulder as the squeaky brakes of the jeep parked along the side of the road behind them. Lydia got off the phone and walked up to the two girls. She shook out her hands to get rid of the jitters.

“So much adrenaline!” Lydia said, her eyes almost wild looking in the moonlight.

“I bet! You two wanna sit in the jeep while we wait?” Ray offered. Lydia scrunched up her nose. Allison winced. Ray went on, “No? Yeah, that’s probably for the best. _Someone_ spilled Sprite all over the backseat.” She said the last part loud enough for Stiles to hear.

He stuck his head out the window to yell back, “For the record, it’s not my fault!”

“It’s his fault,” Ray told the two girls. “Don’t trust him. He’s evil. Look- even my knees are sticky!” Ray raised her leg to the girls could both touch her knee. They each grimaced. “See what I have to live with?” Her humor was making the girls calm down and feel a little better, so she really didn’t mind making a fool of herself. “Oh god, you guys won’t believe what Stiles did at the tattoo shop earlier. . .”

After the tow truck came, Ray climbed into the backseat of the jeep once again so Stiles could finally take her and Scott home.

“Can’t believe it seriously just, poof!- healed,” Ray said seemingly out of the blue. Really she was just trying to pull her neighbor out of his funk from seeing his ex.

Scott didn’t pick his head up from where he was leaning it against the passenger window when he mumbled his response, “Yeah.”

The poor kid was probably devastated. It took him so long to convince his mother to sign the paper saying he could have a tattoo before 18. He saved up and planned everything out perfectly. He had even waited for Ray to be back in town so that she could be there for his first tattoo. All that money down the drain. .

“There has to be a way for werewolves to have tattoos,” Ray thought out loud. Stiles glared at her in the rearview mirror. She knew he was trying to silently say _don’t give_ _Scotty any ideas_ , but Ray couldn’t help it. She hated seeing Scott so down.

Plus, she thought the tattoo was kind of cool.

“How? No matter the method of tattooing, I would heal. Just like how I can’t get drunk.”

“But Derek has a tattoo, you’ve seen it too, right Stiles?”

Stiles squinted his eyes at her, hating that she was bringing her into this. “You know, I don’t remember him having one.”

“He does,” Scott was starting to sound a little cheerier, “He totally does! That huge spiral design on his back!”

“He might know something,” Ray offered.

“Or he had it before he turned into a werewolf,” Stiles pointed out.

Scott blinked slowly then said, “Dude, he was born one.”

“Well, Ray was born a mermaid and she didn’t turn into one until sixteen!”

Scott looked to Ray for help, but she just shrugged and said, “I can’t argue that logic.”

Scott slumped in the passenger seat again. “This sucks. No tattoo. No more money in my bank account. No Allison-“

“Hey, you did get to see Allison,” Ray reminded him. “Besides, she told me she didn’t date anyone in France, you know what that means?”

“What?”

“She isn’t over her ex.”

A look of panic washed over Scott’s face. “Who’s her ex?”

“You, dumbass!” Stiles said, “She isn’t over you!”

“Stiles,” Ray chastised, “Don’t be so hard on the kid. Being in love with your ex totally sucks.”

Stiles snorted and asked, “How would you even know what that feels like?”

“Movies, TV, I’ve opened a book. . Oh and I can literally feel other people’s emotions and Scotty’s emotions? They totally suck!” She winced then looked to Scott, “No offense, Scotty.”

“None taken. They do suck. I’d never wish this on my worst enemy-,” he clutched his tank top at the heart of his chest, “-but I also don’t want to stop feeling this way. I don’t want to get over her because. . .getting over her means losing her.”

“Okay, Romeo.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “Don’t let your heart bleed out on my seats.”

“Don’t listen to him, Scott. That was really beautiful. Allison is lucky to have a guy feel like that about her.”

Ray looked down at her phone to avoid the awkward tension she just created. Scott reached into the backseat to put his hand over her knee comfortingly. There was instant regret on his face from the action because he finally realized she hadn’t been lying this whole time. Her knee was really sticky.

“You’ll find a guy who feels that way about you.”

“Oh, um-,” Ray cleared her throat, “Yeah, yeah for sure.”

“Want me to introduce you to a couple lacrosse players?” Scott offered as he tried to be casual about rubbing his hand on his shirt to get the soda residue off.

“No that’s-“

“She doesn’t need to be introduced to anyone,” Stiles interrupted.

“Why not? There are plenty of nice guys on the team,” Scott said.

“She already knows everyone that was on the team.”

“She is sitting right here and can speak for herself,” Ray spoke up. She and Stiles glared at each other for a moment in the rearview mirror before she told Scott, “I don’t need to be introduced to anyone. There’s this guy I like who is going to be on the cross country team with us, so I kind of want to try that out.”

Scott’s eyes lit up. “Who is it? Do I know him?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out if it works out.”

“Is it Isaac?”

“McCall, quit prying into my personal life!”

Stiles stepped harder on the gas, hoping to make this drive home go by a little quicker. He turned up the volume of the song playing. While Scott studied the driver’s sudden shift in behavior, Ray got out her phone to send Stiles a text.

_Park at the end of the street after you drop us off_

She and Scott both got out of the jeep, telling Stiles they’d see him at school the next day. When Scott turned to walk towards his house, Ray held up her phone to Stiles and pointed at it, motioning for him to check his. Once he did, Ray left to her front door. Scott waved to her as he went inside his house. Ray waved back and faked that she was unlocking her own front door.

As soon as her neighbor was in his house, Ray booked it down her front porch steps and ran down the street in the direction the blue jeep had gone. It was parked at the street corner like she had asked. She sprinted up to the driver's side and motioned for Stiles to roll down the window.

The boy did so, but he was giving her a pouty lip about it.

“What do you want from me, Nerine?” The girl cupped his cheeks to kiss him through the open window. He pulled back, completely in shock and asked, “But what about the guy on the track team?”

“That’s you, Stilinski,” she said with a laugh.

The realization that washed over the boy’s face was priceless as if he was embarrassed he had ever thought otherwise. He tapped on the steering wheel and spoke, sounding not at all convincing, “No yeah. I knew that.”

“Really? You seemed a little green there for a second. You weren’t jealous, we’re ya?” Ray taunted.

“Me? Jealous? Pft.” Ray guided his chin to her for another quick kiss. He finally answered, “Okay maybe I was a little jealous.”

Ray roughed up his hair. She could get used to that. “Goodnight, Stiles.”

He called to her as she started to walk back down the street. “Wait, wait! Why did you have me park here? Did you want to talk?”

The girl came jogging back to the window with a huge smile on her face. “Just wanted a goodnight kiss.”

Stiles smirked, “Well, you haven’t gotten one.”

“I’ve gotten two.”

The driver’s side door swung open roughly. Ray barely had time to get out of the way before he was jumping down on the pavement in front of her. His hand immediately pulled her hips toward him to that he could properly kiss her. She clutched on the collar of his plaid shirt at first, but then a wave of confidence hit and she found herself pushing his chest back so that he was against the side of his jeep.

Stiles’s eyes went wide, not expecting her to be so rough. His hands, however, were all for the roughness. He pulled her close so that his thigh was between her legs. Ray whined against his lips, only encouraging him to push her hips down harder, dragging her against his leg. He had never done anything like that before, and she didn’t even think he knew how it affected her.

He mumbled against her lips, “God, you drove me crazy today.”

Her urge to laugh made her pull back. Stiles left little kisses along her jaw as she spoke. “I drove you crazy? You were the one grabbing me!”

He gave her another heated kiss before saying, “You started it by sitting on me.”

“Only to keep you from hurting yourself. Which, it worked by the way, so you’re welcome.” Ray mumbled an, “Oh, fuck,” once Stiles began trailing kisses down her neck. The street lamp reflecting against the window of the jeep flickered slightly, reminding her where they were.

The middle of her neighborhood.

“This is not a goodnight kiss,” Ray said breathlessly.

Stiles pulled away from her neck. His smirk was red and swollen. That only made her want to kiss him more.

“Really? Feels like a good night to me,” he told her.

“I would say let’s go to our usual spot, but-,” Ray stepped away from him and adjusted her shirt, “-we have school in the morning.”

Stiles couldn’t take his eyes off her. It felt like the entire neighborhood was watching this suddenly very intimate moment. His hand grabbed hers and his thumb rubbed little circles on the back of her hand. That small gesture of all things was what made her blush.

“Fuck school. Let’s drive to the ocean and stay a few nights,” he begged.

Ray couldn’t believe the sincerity in his voice. She shook her head, “No, Stilinski. It’s the start of junior year, and if it’s anything like last year. . We will be spending plenty of time skipping. Let’s not miss our first day.”

He pouted and pulled her close again, “But-“

She gave him a quick kiss. “There will be plenty of time to do that after school.”

“And during school?” He asked mischievously.

“No,” Ray contemplated it for a moment, “Maybe.”

Stiles kissed her forehead. Ray rested her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat was comforting. She had thought about it the entire summer while she was away. Still even now that she was home, she couldn’t listen to it whenever she wanted in fear of people finding them holding each other so close.

“I should go,” Ray said reluctantly.

Stiles held her tighter for a moment then released her. “I’ll drive you to school tomorrow.”

“Danny is driving me and Jayden. It’s his first day of high school. . Besides, what will Scott think?”

“That I’m driving my friend to school.”

“But we aren’t friends,” Ray reminded him. “I hate you, remember?”

“Hey, you know what they say about keeping enemies close.”

“What do they say?” Ray asked smartly.

“They say to make out with them in your jeep before school,” Stiles said without missing a beat.

Ray pulled away. She was walking backward away from him as she said, “We’ll see about that one, lover boy.”

She was halfway back to her house when she froze in place. Had she really just called him that? A deep cringe set in. Hitting herself in the forehead didn’t make the awkward feeling go away.

She had used the L word.

No not Lesbian, or Lydia, but the bad L word. The one they hadn’t said yet. The one the lady at the shop mentioned earlier. The one Ray’s been feeling but kept to herself because honestly, it was way too soon for that shit, right? And she had just dropped it in normal conversation like it was nothing!

Who the hell even says shit like lover boy?

Needless to say, Raymona could not fall asleep after that. She pressed snoozed three times in the morning, cutting her time to get ready in half.

“Oh no,” Ray mumbled as the sound of tires screeching to a stop flowed through her open window. She grabbed a handful of chapsticks and lip glosses from her desk and shoved them into the front pocket of her overstuffed shoulder bag. “Why is he here so early?!”

She yelled goodbye to her stepdad and brothers then bolted out the front door. Bobby pins were sticking out of her mouth and her hands attempting to twist her hair back so that it wouldn’t fall in her face. She managed to get the last pin in right before making it to the jeep. The boy driving smiled at her as she opened the passenger door.

“You look beautiful this morning,” Stiles said with a wink.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” Ray responded. “You _do_ know how to match the color of your undershirt to your flannel.”

“Well, it is the first day, and there is this girl I’m trying to impress.”

“Well.” Ray leaned across the center console to whisper in his ear, “It’s working.” She planted a kiss on his cheek then sat back in her seat to check her makeup in the mirror. Her hand dug through the front pocket of her bag, hoping to find her favorite lipgloss, but coming up short. It seemed like she brought every other lip product she owned except that one.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Where’s my-. .”

Stiles reached over her to open the glove box. The jeep swerved slightly, but not more than it usually did with Stiles behind the wheel. He pulled out the lip gloss she had been looking for and handed it to her, saying, “Found it under the seat while I was cleaning up the Sprite.”

“Oh my god, thank you!” She put it on immediately then smiled at herself in the mirror. “This one is my favorite.”

“Mine too,” Stiles whispered under his breath. He glanced over at her to see she had an eyebrow raised. Suddenly his cheeks were pink and he got defensive, “What? It tastes the best.”

The jeep stopped at a light, so Ray put her hand on his thigh and asked, “Wanna taste it?” The light turned green and Stiles let out a whine like a child throwing a fit. Ray laughed and promised she’d let him taste it once they got to school.

Ray kept her promise, sort of. She left a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth then bolted out of the jeep, catching sight of Gabby who was standing outside of her car and cringing. She had run over the curb, scraping the underneath of her new used car, a purple Lincoln that practically leaked gas out of the tank with how much it went through.

“Oh my god!” Ray squealed. “I love it!”

Gabby posed against the hood then said “Isn’t she so cute?! Just don’t go inside. I think a raccoon was living in the backseat at one point. . The smell isn’t pretty. .”

“I can’t believe it’s yours!”

“Yeah well, that’s what working at the local grocery store for a year and a half could buy you!” Gabby linked her arm around Ray’s. “Now, come on! Let’s go find Lydia.”

Lydia was standing with Allison at the hunter’s locker. Gabby, not knowing the history between her friend and the Argent, dragged Ray right on up to the two girls.

“How was your date?” Gabby asked the other two while Ray’s eyes wandered around the hall for a distraction.

She pulled out her phone and sent her younger brother a quickly good luck text on his first day and asked where he was. He didn’t send back a thanks in response, only a _With Mason and Liam_ , which Ray could have guessed on her own without needing to text him. Liam had gone with Jayden to grade school then went to Davenport prep for a while on a lacrosse scholarship. Now he was back to public school. Jayden and Mason couldn’t have been more excited to have their friend back.

Maybe between classes, Ray would snoop down the freshman hall of lockers to see if she could find her brother and ask how his first day was going.

“Freshmen,” Lydia said dreamily. The word pulled Ray’s attention back to their conversation. “Tons and tons of fresh. . men.”

“You mean fresh boys. Lydia,” Allison said with a scoff, “-they're 14.”

“Eh, some are more mature than others,” Lydia proclaimed with a casual hand wave.

Ray made a disgusted face and said, “Just please don’t go near my brother or his friends. They are still babies in my eyes.”

“I could introduce you to Fletcher’s cousin from Reno if you want,” Gabby offered.

Lydia tilted her head and speculated. She shook her head no, deciding she wasn’t desperate enough to dip her toes into the Greenberg gene pool.

Allison placed a binder in her locker as she said, “You know, it's okay to be single. Focus on yourself for a little while, work on becoming a better person.”

Yeah, _one that doesn’t have the need to shoot and stab people_ , Ray thought to herself with an eye roll.

“Allison, I love you. So if you need to do that thing where we talk about me and pretend like we're not actually talking about you, it's totally fine. But I don't want a boyfriend. I want a distraction.” Lydia’s eyes wandered around at all the new faces in the halls. People seemed to be parting ways to make room for two people coming down the hall.

The four girls couldn’t take their eyes off the two boys. Gabby’s mouth went slack. She was very committed to Greenberg, but. . . Holy shit. Maybe she wasn’t as committed as she once thought.

“Brothers?” Allison asked.

“Twins,” Lydia answered dreamily.

“Right, well-“ Ray fidgeted awkwardly, adjusting her backpack strap while still managing to hold her phone in her hand. “All this talk about boys is making me want to leave, so. . Bye.”

“We can’t all be platonically married to our best friend!” Lydia called after her. Ray didn’t dare looking back over her shoulder to give Lydia the satisfaction of the blush rising to her cheeks.

“Her and Stiles still aren’t together?” Allison asked as she shut her locker.

“It’s excruciating,” Gabby said with a sigh.

“But they act like they are and it’s disgusting to watch,” Lydia added.

“Oh, what if I-“ Gabby wildly jumped from one side of Lydia to the other, mimicking Stiles’s usual antics. “Maybe I could carry your books?”

Lydia played along with the re-enactment, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear, “Oh, Stiles, um no. It’s cool. I mean, if you want to?”

“Oh my god, of _course_ I do! Let me just-,” Gabby took Lydia’s binder then pretended to almost drop it.

Allison covered her mouth to hide her laughter. “So nothing’s changed?”

Gabby handed Lydia back the binder gracefully, breaking out of character. “They haven’t changed a bit.”

“Weird. I really thought they were together when I left for France.”

Gabby and Lydia shared an annoyed look. The redhead rolled her eyes and said, “Everyone did, but apparently not. Or at least, that’s what they say."

Meanwhile, Scott and Stiles had just passed the principal’s office as Ray came up and put her arms around their shoulders. Stiles jumped at the sudden touch. Scott had heard her coming and didn’t even flinch. He smiled down at his neighbor.

“Well look who finally decided to show up! Where’s Jay? Sitting in awkward silence ten minutes before his first class?” Scott assumed. Everyone was so shy on the first day of freshman year, no one dared to talk all of first period. Even Stiles had been quiet. Now teachers couldn’t get their classes to settle down long enough for a lesson.

“I’m not sure where he is. . .”

“Didn’t you just get here with him and Danny?”

“Uh, ha, oh yeah. Right. Actually-“

“She did just get here!” Stiles said as he put his hand on her shoulder and shook it. “Jayden probably ran off to find Mason.”

“Exactly! He left to go find Mason,” Ray agreed. She checked the watch on Scott’s wrist then said, “Oh would you look at that! I better get to my first class. See you two in second period!”

The boys watched as she darted down the hall. A girl they didn’t recognize stopped her, hugged her, then introduced her to the girl next to her. They expected Ray to be shy about it, but Ray offered the girl a bright smile and started talking adamantly about something.

“Hey,” Stiles said, stopping Scott with a hand on his chest, “Since when does Ray have all these friends other than us and Gabby?”

“Since she became best friends with Lydia Martin? And don’t forget her other best friend,” Scott teased.

“Isaac,” Stiles grumbled. “Don’t remind me.”

“You have nothing to worry about, dude. Isaac doesn’t think of her like that.”

“Pft, what? I’m not worried.”

“Good!” Scott patted his shoulder. “Then let’s get to class and focus on school, not girls.”

“Ray isn’t just a girl! She’s-“

“The One, I know dude, you told me like a million times over summer,” Scott couldn’t help the slightly bitter tone because his _the one_ was walking down the halls with Lydia and Gabby, pretending like she didn’t see him.

Stiles noticed his friend’s gaze then said, “Yup. Alright, you are right! Time for class and no thinking about girls.” He directed Scott to walk in the opposite direction as Allison.

When lunch rolled around, Ray planted herself at her younger brother’s lunch table. Jayden turned bright red and groaned.

“Raymona, don’t you have your own friends?” Jayden pleaded.

“What? I can’t say hi to my baby brother?” She pinched his cheek. He swatted her hand away and glared evilly. “Besides, It’s tradition. Danny came over and embarrassed me my first day of freshman year.”

Speaking of Danny, he sat on the bench on the other side of Jayden with a huge smirk. Jayden put his face in his hands while Mason openly stared at Danny. Mason’s gaze flickered to Ray and he realized he was being watched. His milk carton came up to block half his face as he took a drink, trying to stay calm and look casual.

“What’s up, JayJay?” Danny emphasized the nickname.

“God, kill me. Please kill me,” Jayden mumbled.

“Aw, his first death wish of high school!” Ray ruffled his hair. “They grow up so fast, don’t they, Danny?”

“They sure do. Say, where’s that lunch your mom packed for you, JayJay?”

“When we get home, you two are so dead,” Jayden warned.

“For some reason,” Danny said as he stood up from the bench, “I highly doubt that. And if you aren’t at the car by 3:15, I will leave your sorry ass.”

Mason’s eyes followed Danny’s figure as he left. Ray smirked and turned to their third friend, “Hey, Liam! Glad to have you back!”

“Glad to be back,” Liam said, sounding sort of dazed.

A hand reached over Ray’s shoulder to put a can of Sprite in front of her. She gasped and turned around to see Stiles standing behind her.

“Peace offering for yesterday?” Stiles said.

Ray raised her eyebrow. “Thought we already made peace.”

“I wasn’t so sure since you weren’t sitting with us-,” he looked around the table. “Hello, Jayden and friends. Welcome to Hell.”

“Stiles, can you please get Ray out of here?” Jayden begged.

Mischief twinkled in his eyes. “What would be the fun in that?” He winked at Ray then said, “I’ll save you a seat at our table.”

“Not necessary now that I have you,” Ray responded without thinking. Jayden gagged from beside her.

Once Stiles was gone, Liam quickly asked, “Is he your boyfriend now?”

“Stiles? God no, I hate that guy.” Ray cracked open her Sprite then said, “Hey, some of the freshman cheer girls were telling me some awesome stories about you, JayJay. Like apparently this one time your class was dissecting frogs and-“

“Leave! Goodbye!” Jayden insisted as he shoved her.

“Okay, okay! I’m going! Sheesh. Bye Mason! Bye Liam!”

Once she left the table, Mason and Liam shared a guilty look while Jayden rubbed his temples.

“Don’t say it,” Jayden whispered.

Mason said it anyway, “Your older siblings are hot.”

“Really, really hot,” Liam said as he rested his chin in his hand.

“I hate you two.”

Back at Scott and Stiles’s table, Ray sunk down on the bench next to Stiles, not even leaving room for a piece of paper between them. Their best friend across from them didn't even bat an eyelash, being used to their odd hot and cold behaviors by now.

“What was all that about?” Scott asked, nodding to his freshman neighbor’s table.

“Embarrassing your younger siblings is a rite of passage,” Ray declared. A foot tangled around her ankle under the table. Instead of kicking him off like usual, she pretended as if it wasn’t happening and casually asked him, “Stiles? Can I trade you a chicken strip for your cookie?”

“Are you gonna let me double-dip in your ranch? Because I won’t have enough ranch if you give me and extra strip.”

“I don’t want your cooties.”

Stiles snorted at that. She definitely already had his cooties at this point. “Fine, pour some of your ranch on my tray then, you big baby.”

Fifth period Ray had art. Art was the best experience she had ever had in a classroom setting. The fact that she suffered through French all of last year should have earned her a medal to something. Art was a breeze, enjoyable, energizing. She was high on happiness until class ended and she was thrown back into the halls to go to Calculus. At least she had last period with Stiles, just Stiles. They could sit next to each other and be themselves for once.

At her locker, Ray put her combination in for the third time and the lock still wouldn’t release. She tugged on the blue lock then pouted. Stiles came up next to her with his arms crossed. He looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh.

“Don’t day a single word, Stilinski. I’m gonna get it next try, watch-“ Ray tugged on the look again. Nothing.

Stiles shook his head in disbelief. “You absolute dork. Your locker is 35. That one is mine.”

Ray shuffled one step to her left and tried the combination on the next locker over. She blushed when it opened on the first try. “We shouldn’t have bought the same lock. I’m probably going to be doing that all year.”

“I like that we match,” Stiles said. He started to play with one of Ray’s curls, but she swatted his hand away. He rolled his eyes then ran a hand through his own hair before saying, “So Scott was pulled out of class. Something is wrong with Isaac.”

“I thought he was supposed to be looking for Erica and Boyd. What happened? Is he-is he-,” Ray hadn’t even thought twice about Isaac not being at school. His trips to search for the other betas usually lasted a couple of days at a time. He had been doing it since the end of spring and all throughout summer. They were just shooting hoops together with Scott a little over a week ago, and he seemed fine then.

“He’s fine,” Stiles said. Ray felt like she was able to breathe again. “He was attacked, but someone saved him and brought him to the hospital. His wounds were healing, so Scott had to go help him sneak out and go to Derek’s to rest. Wanna go see them at Derek’s with me?”

While it was very tempting to go check on her friend, she had other obligations. If he was healing and safe, she could give him a while to rest and visit him later in the afternoon.

“Can’t. I have cheer after school. I might be down to visit Isaac afterward though.”

Stiles choked on air. “You have-what? Since when?”

“Since I came home early to go to tryouts last week. I mean, Lydia is the captain so it’s not like I had to impress anyone. That's why I’ve been too busy to hang out this past week. Thought Scotty would have told you,” Ray shrugged and shut her locker. The boy next to her looked like he was about to pass out. “You okay, Stilinski?”

His hands went around her waist and he planted a kiss on her cheek, nearly touching the corner of her mouth. Ray’s heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest and start doing push-ups in the middle of the hallway. She quickly scanned the halls to find that no one paying much attention to them. There was a voice in her head reminding her that Scott wasn’t even at school to see them, but still, she feared rumors might get around. Her best friend should hear it from Ray and Stiles before hearing it from anyone else.

“Thought we agreed to be discreet,” Ray whispered as Stiles took his hands off her.

“Come visit Isaac with me, and we can be discreet in the jeep the whole way there,” Stiles said then gave her a cheeky half-smile and a wink. What the hell had gotten into him all of the sudden? Stiles was constantly 40% curiosity, 40% anxiety, and 20% horny, but he usually kept that 20% locked down. At school at least. . .

“We still have one more period,” Ray reminded him.

“The principal said we could leave early because of the windows.”

“Yeah, your specific English class can. The rest of us are still obligated to finish our first day of classes. Besides, we will probably have to go to the library during Calculus to check out our textbooks,” Ray reasoned, “You shouldn’t skip.”

Stiles tapped his foot and looked down the hallway. He adjusted the straps of his backpack then sighed. The guilty look on his face let Ray know what he had decided.

Ray sighed and said, “You’re ditching calc, aren’t you?”

“Do you hate me?” He whined.

“Constantly, but at least give me your library card so I can check out your book for you.” Ray held out her hand.

Stiles took out his wallet and began searching through his cards. The girl couldn’t help but notice the imprinted ring on the surface of the slot his cash was supposed to be kept in. Her eyes fixated on the spot and tried to come up with some other explanation for the specific shape. It couldn’t be what she thought it was, right?

“Nope, that’s insurance. . Oh, look! A stamp card for Shakey’s. We should get milkshakes,” Stiles said as he handed her the stamp card. It was impressive how many random old gift cards he had managed to stuff into the small wallet.

“Stiles,” she whispered.

He ignored her and kept searching for his library card, “Oh hey, my license- been looking for that. . Hold that one for me too.”

Ray looked down at the picture of Stiles, just fifteen and a half with his hair freshly buzzed off. It seemed like that time was so long ago, but it had been just a year and a few months. He had smiled for the picture, but it looked forced and awkward. Ray didn’t smile for her own. The guy taking the picture didn’t warn her when it happened. She hated how it looked.

“Here it is!” Stiles handed her the library card then stuffed all the other miscellaneous junk back into the worn-down card slots. Ray handed him back the Shakey’s lunch card and his license for him to stick in a more accessible slot.

Once he was done fixating on that, she asked what had been pressing on her mind, “Why do you have a condom in your wallet?”

“For. . . protection?” Stiles answered.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of having sex with Stiles. She had. Many times. Probably an unhealthy amount of times, however, she didn’t think their relationship was there yet. They hadn’t even told their own best friend that they were. .

What were they exactly? They had never really discussed being exclusive, but Ray definitely wasn’t jumping at other opportunities. Still, just because they kissed a few dozen times didn’t mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Or did it? Or were they just friends with benefits?

Ray nervously picked at the corner of his library card where it had been coming apart. She forced herself to say something, “I just, um- I didn’t know you were having sex.”

“Oh god,” he blurted out instantly. “No, I’m not. Definitely not. Never have I ever, and I don’t, I don’t expect-um.”

“You haven’t ever?” Ray repeated.

“I mean I’ve like thought about it, a lot,” Stiles said before shutting his eyes and cringing at himself. “God I mean-not about you-“

“Not about me?” Ray whispered.

“Well-“

“I have to get to class, Stilinski,” Ray grumbled as she slipped away from him.

“Wait, Ray!” Stiles darted around people in the hallway to catch up with her. “What time are you out of cheer practice?”

“Five,” she told him coldly.

“I’ll pick you up!” He offered before running the other direction toward the parking lot.

Cheer practice was more fun than Ray expected it to be. Lydia was excused from school earlier that day, but she came back just for practice. The uniforms they ordered the week prior had arrived, so all the girls were ecstatic. After practice, everyone was trying on their uniforms in the locker room to make sure their measurements had been correct.

The order consisted of a sleeveless cheer top with a matching long sleeve undershirt, a gym bag with her name embroidered on the side, a water bottle with their school logo, a pair of fancy sweats, hair bows, pompoms, spandex and the skirt. They got their money’s worth for sure, and the gym bag was a cool surprise since Ray didn’t have one. She stuffed her workout clothes in her backpack that morning, leaving little to no room for all the books she had to collect from the library throughout her first day.

The other girls all tried on their sleeveless top and skirt since that’s what they would be wearing most. Ray struggled to get into the top, but the other girls were struggling too, so she wasn’t too worried. It was the skirt that worried her. Ray definitely felt a lot more comfortable in the sweats that came than the teeny tiny burgundy skirt. No matter which way she bent or twirled, the skirt showed her spandex underneath.

“I think I got the wrong size,” Ray told Lydia.

Lydia gave her a once over then said, “What? It fits you great!”

“It’s too short.”

“That’s what the spandex are for.”

“But-“

“Alright, team!” Coach Kacey yelled, coming out of her office, “Make sure to let me or your captain Lydia know if your uniform fit or not! Come to tomorrow’s practice ready to sweat!”

Most girls left the locker room in their new uniforms with bright smiles, too excited to change out of them. Ray hurried to stuff the long sleeve undershirt and sweats in her gym bag so that she could catch up with Lydia. The redhead was already halfway to her car by the time Ray caught up with her. Running outside in the skirt caused Ray to keep looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was staring. The spandex offered her no comfort.

“Lydia, I don’t think I can do this,” Ray said honestly.

Lydia laughed as she opened up her trunk for her gym bag. “Ray, you’ve come this far and already paid for the uniform.” The redhead’s eyes narrowed, seeing something over Ray’s shoulder. Ray turned to see the blue jeep parked a few cars down.

“What is Stiles doing here this late?” Lydia wondered.

Oh no. Lydia was smart. Ray better come up with a good lie before the genius discovered their secret.

“He’s here to tell me what happened to Isaac. He and Scotty went to check on him. .” That was truthful enough to not sound suspicious, right?

Lydia looked like she was about to question her, but then she seemed to remember something, “Oh my god I forgot to tell you. This woman was looking for Scott earlier at the school and she left this bruise on my wrist. Ali’s too.”

The cheer captain showed Ray the deep blue marking on her pale wrist. The two lines in the middle almost looked like they could be fingerprints, but the two on the outer edges were horizontal. Ray couldn’t imagine a way of grabbing someone that resulted in a bruise being shaped like that.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked.

Lydia waved it off like it was no big deal. “I’m fine. It’s Allison that’s all shook up about it. She thinks it’s some sort of pattern.”

“She has the same one?”

“Yup!” Lydia said as she slammed her trunk shut. “Get some rest tonight! Tomorrow’s practice is going to be brutal. Coach Kasey has a whole new workout regimen planned,” she said excitedly, “Our legs are going to be so toned!”

Ray thought she might not even need to join the cross country team to build her endurance if Coach Kasey really was going to work them that hard. She had already gotten approval from both coaches that she could be on each team, but even just having the afternoon practice for cheer had her exhausted. She couldn’t imagine what she would feel like after adding a morning practice for cross country to the list.

Although, she would totally be prepared to run for miles while being chased from whatever supernatural creature decided to attack next. Maybe she should still stick to both.

She let out a tired huff as she pulled herself into the passenger seat of the jeep. Her new gym bag went to her feet and she threw her backpack in the back seat.

“So what’s-,” she paused, seeing Stiles staring at her thighs. Ray instantly tried pulling down her spandex to cover more space. Pulling down the skirt would have been useless since it was so tiny to begin with.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Our uniforms came so we were all trying them on. I hate them.”

“I don’t,” Stiles said blatantly. His eyes traveled up her body slowly then finally landed on her face. “Why don’t you guys cheer for lacrosse again?”

“Everyone cheers in the fall for football then only some do winter for basketball. By the time lacrosse comes around, not enough girls are still up for doing it. Plus it’s outside in the cold. I can’t imagine wearing this thing when it’s like fifty degrees,” she gestured to the tiny skirt.

“Really? Because I can picture it real well.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Quit being a perv and drive me home, Stilinski.”

“You sure you don’t wanna get in the back and make out a little while first?”

“Always, but sadly, I need to go home and get started on the unbelievable amount of homework that was assigned on my first day. But oh, that reminds me!”

Ray got on her knees as she bent over into the backseat to reach her backpack. Stiles mumbled a, “Holy god” which she blatantly ignored. She pulled his Calculus textbook out of her backpack and handed it to him.

“There ya go- before I forget and end up taking both home. Our homework is page 7. It’s odd numbers 1-29.”

Stiles thanked her then carelessly tossed the book into the back. It’s clattered to the floor beneath the driver’s seat with a thud.

“Why don’t you come over to. . do homework at my place,” Stiles suggested as he backed out of the parking spot.

Ray sighed as the boy drove out of the lot. “Because you will just distract me. I can’t leave anything for tomorrow because we are going to that birthday party, remember?”

“You find me distracting?” Stiles asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Keep your eyes on the road, Stilinski, and tell me what happened with Isaac.”

The boy reluctantly filled her in on all the awful news he had heard in the last few hours. An alpha pack was in Beacon Hills looking for Derek. They targeted Isaac and tried to kill him, but he was saved by some mysterious woman. Isaac was close to finding Boyd and Erica when he was attacked. It was assumed that the Alpha pack was holding Boyd and Erica hostage, but Isaac's memories had somehow been erased in the process.

“That’s-not good,” Ray grimaced. She was happy to see her house up ahead. Looks like she would be joining cross country after all. She needed to stay fit enough to outrun an entire pack of Alphas.

“Yeah, wanna hear the worst part of it all?” Stiles asked.

Of course, it just had to get worse. “There isn’t another kanima around killing people, is there?”

“No, worse,” Stiles said as he parked in front of her house. Danny was in the driveway playing basketball with Scott and Jayden. Ray gasped when she saw her neighbor’s arm.

“His tattoo is back!”

“Yes,” Stiles grumbled. “I hate it.”

Ray laughed. “Is that what you were talking about?”

Stiles rubbed his face when gestured to Scott. “I mean, look at it!”

“I think it’s cool,” Ray stated. She turned to get her backpack from the back. When she sat facing forward again, Stiles’s hand landed on her exposed thigh.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come over?” He whined.

In all honestly, Ray was a little nervous to be hanging out with Stiles alone after seeing what he had in his wallet. She was thankful Scott and her brothers were in the driveway, so she could play it off as trying to act normal in front of Scott.

“Not tonight. We are going to be out late tomorrow, so I just wanna be home tonight.”

“Stiles!” Scott shouted from the driveway, “Get over here! We’ll play 2v2!”

Even after showering and changing into comfortable clothes, Ray had a hard time focusing on her homework. Her bedroom window had a clear view of Stiles’s sweaty back. She rested her chin on her hand and watched as he did a layup and thought about how cute he looked in his backward cap. Eventually, Ray gave up trying to focus and went downstairs, following the smells of the kitchen. Her stepdad was pressing tortillas while chicken was cooking on the stove.

“Oh Raymona, will you go find out if the boys are staying for dinner? I’m pretty sure I made enough for everyone. Your mom is staying late at work tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll ask and then come flip the tortillas for you.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite,” Marcus said without missing a beat.

Ray stood on the porch and yelled, “Yo, Scotty, Stilinski! You guys are staying for tacos, right?”

“Yes,” Scott said instantly. “Yes please my mom has been working nights and if I have top ramen one more time I’ll lose it.”

Jayden swiped the ball from Stiles’s hands and took a shot. The next swished expertly. Stiles blinked a couple of times then finally said, “Sure. Thanks.”

“Okay, should be ready in about twenty,” Ray told them.

Jayden made a second shot in a row then said, “Let’s play horse! Whoever loses does dishes.”

Dishes were Jayden’s only household chore, and he rarely lost in horse. Ray shook her head as she walked back into the house, knowing her little brother was only trying to get out of his chores. And the craziest part is it would probably work for him.

They ended up having dinner in front of the TV because the A’s were playing. The boys simultaneously yelled at the TV as a player from the other team hit a double, sending a player sliding into home. The A’s were down 1-3 now. Ray started collecting empty plates and took them into the kitchen. She turned from the sink to go collect more and ended up bumping into someone behind her.

“Sorry!” She squeaked and reached to steady the handful of plates the boy had.

“You’re good. That was my fault,” Stiles told her.

“Let me take those from you.”

“It’s fine. I lost at horse so I’m doing dishes,” he explained.

“Oh,” Ray stood back so he could start filling up the sink with water. “You don’t have to. Jayden just said that to get out of his chores. Honestly, I’ll do them.”

“How about I wash them and you put them away since I don’t know where anything goes. .”

The four men in the other room could be heard booing at the TV. Marcus yelled out, “Come on! That was a strike!”

“You don’t want to watch the game?” Ray asked.

Stiles shrugged then started to fill the sink with water and dish soap. “Mets played this morning and lost. I’m not really in the mood to watch the A’s lose too.”

The girl couldn’t help the smile forming on her face. She set up a drying rack area with a towel then grabbed another to hand dry the dishes. The two listened to the sound of the men in the other room enjoying the game. Ray put a pile of plates in the cupboard where they belonged. Stiles was vigorously scrubbing burnt sauce from the pan that was used to cook the chicken. Ray’s eyes flickered over to the doorway where everyone else was just around the corner. After deciding the coast was clear, she landed a quick peck to his cheek.

Stiles’s eyes went wide and he nearly dropped the pan. He stumbled over his words, “Wh-what was that for?”

“For being helpful,” Ray said. She bit her lip then added, “And for looking really cute when you wear a hat.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to start being helpful and wearing a hat every day.”

Marcus stumbled into the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. He smiled at the two kids and said, “Look at this, teenagers aren’t useless. Can one of you teach Jayden how to do dishes? I don’t think I’ve seen that boy pick up a sponge once.”

Ray laughed, “Don’t be fooled, Marcus-,” she pointed to Stiles, “This one here is only doing the dishes because he lost in horse.”

“So that’s how Jayden got out of doing them. I see how it is.” Marcus shook his head in disappointment as he headed back out to watch the game.

Ray asked, “Are you driving me again tomorrow?”

Stiles smiled mischievously, “Are you asking me to drive you tomorrow?”

“Well,” Ray said shyly, “I just think it would be best since we are probably leaving for the party right after cheer, right?”

“Oh, I will definitely pick you up from cheer. I’ll drive you every day if it means I get to pick you up from cheer.”

Ray swatted him with the towel. “I’m not going to be wearing the skirt. That was just a one-time thing to make sure they fit.”

“It definitely fits, but maybe we should check again right now just to make sure. .”

She couldn’t tell if she wanted to smack his smug smile or kiss it. Instead, she just mumbled, “Keep it in your pants, Stilinski.”

The two finished the dishes then Stiles kissed Ray on the forehead and said, “I’m heading home.”

“Yes! Run!” Marcus yelled at the TV while the other three boys in the living room cheered.

“Do I get a goodnight kiss?” Ray asked.

Stiles put his hands on the counter, surrounding her. Both teens’ hearts were racing knowing there were people just on the other side of that wall that didn’t know how close they were. Stiles didn’t have a witty comment for her. He gladly leaned down and softly kissed her lips, but he was also quick to pull back in fear of someone walking in.

“I want to do this every day,” Stiles told her.

“Kiss me?”

Stiles laughed and rested his forehead in hers. “No, well yes, but not just that. I want to have dinner with you and do the dishes with you every day.”

Ray didn’t get much homework done that night. She spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to decide which skirt she owned that looked the most like her cheer skirt. Poor Stiles was really going to struggle to stay away from her at that party tomorrow. Hopefully their plan to set Scott up with a girl works. If not, it might be a while before he gets over Allison. Ray wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait.

Being with Stiles in secret was fun, but she wanted to be able to walk him to the door when he left. She wanted to hold his hand outside of the jeep or their rooms. If Scott didn’t mend his broken heart soon, they might just have to find a way to tell him the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got so many feels this week, and I would love to chat with you guys! Leave me a comment! What did you like about the chapter? What did you dislike? (Don't be shy! I want to grow as a writer for you guys, so let me know!) What storylines are you looking forward to? How are you? What's the weather like where you are? It's smokey here in NorCal.
> 
> Expect chapter 26 in 7 days or less! (Most likely 9/16)
> 
> And, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, Thank You so much for reading this far! Stay safe out there!! :)


	26. According to Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 9k!

“What the holy hell is that?” Lydia gasped at Ray’s form-fitting skirt.

Ray blushed and tugged down the skirt to cover more of her thighs. “I’m going to a party with Scotty and Stiles. Is it too much?”

“I think some might argue not enough, but that’s exactly why I love it!” Lydia said gleefully. “You didn’t dress like this to my parties!”

“I’m experimenting with being more- I don’t know. It’s dumb.”

“It is not. It’s totally hot. Stiles would be stupid not to notice you.” Ray’s breath got caught in her throat at the red head’s words. Lydia raised an eyebrow and asked, “That is why you’re wearing it, right?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know, shut up.”

“Damn. Wish Ali and I weren’t studying tonight. Don’t think she is down to crash a party with McCall there. . Send me the address though just in case!” Lydia grabbed her gym bag and left the locker room.

Ray took an extra few minutes to let her hair down from her braids before heading to the jeep. Stiles was quick to comment on her outfit as soon as she opened the passenger side door.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

Ray just snorted and threw her bags in the back. As soon as she sat down next to him, his hand was on her thigh and he leaned over to kiss her cheek. The warm feeling from having her cheek kissed mixed with the chills she got from him squeezing her thigh was amazing.

Stiles tapped on his steering wheel and said, “No, you know what? Forget the plan, forget Scott, forget the party. Fuck it all. Let’s go to the preserve.”

“Tempting,” Ray said. She licked her lips and thought about it. “No. We need to go through with the plan.”

“What plan?” Stiles mumbled as he leaned down to start kissing along her neck.

Ray laughed and pushed him off. “Think with the right head, Stiles. If we don’t help Scott get over Allison, we’ll be stuck hiding like the biggest secret ever from our best friend forever.”

Stiles slumped in the driver's seat like a child having a tantrum. “Let it be known that we are going to the party solely because I want to dance with you in that skirt and not because I’m admitting you are right.”

“Let it be known that you will not be dancing with me if this plan doesn’t work out.”

Poor Scott didn’t look ready at all to party as they walked down the street toward the house. Ray picked up her pace and squeezed in between the two boys, wanting to use their body heat for warmth. Maybe the skirt was a bad idea.

Stiles was doing his best to convince Scott that this party would be fun, even going so far as to mention Allison and how this would be the perfect distraction from her. His hands waved all around as he spoke until one landed around Ray’s shoulder to help keep her warm.

“Hopefully this party will be full of distractions for you, Scotty,” Ray said suggestively.

“Can you at least tell me what kind of party this is?”

Scott’s question was immediately answered as soon as the three walked in the front door. A group of girls had all just taken a shot together and were cheering. One of the girls who was filming it all for her Snapchat yelled, “Happy Birthday, Heather!”

Heather laughed and nearly fell over when she caught sight of the kids from Beacon Hills walking in. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds as she called out, “Stiles!”

Ray read the birthday girl’s emotions and quickly narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Heather was coming toward Stiles with her arms out wide for a hug. For some reason, Ray found herself stepping in front of Stiles then putting on a big fake smile.

“Heather! Oh my god!” Ray said cheerily and hugged the blonde, surprising everyone. “You look so gorgeous tonight!”

“Raymona. . Thank you!” The drunk girl was a little confused, but still elated.

Ray whispered in the girl’s ear, “Hey, Scott is single and needs a dance partner. Do you think you can introduce him to some of your friends?”

Heather looked Scott up and down like he was the birthday cake. “I think I can help him out.” She took him by the hand and pulled him into the living room where a crowd of drunk teens was dancing.

Stiles gawked at his best friend who just winked as he let the pretty girl pull him away.

Ray shook her head and said, “They grow up so fast.”

Almost instantly, three girls in the crowd had their hands all over Scott. Ray had to look away from how sensual they were dancing with her best friend. Stiles was still watching the seen in awe like he was surprised girls would find Scott attractive like that.

“Okay, what the hell just happened?” Stiles asked.

“Drunk, horny teen girls like dancing with hot guys?” Ray suggested. “It’s not rocket science.”

“Yeah, but. . Nothing went wrong with our plan? It just-worked, instantly. We didn’t even have to use the backup plan or the backup plan for the backup plan!”

Ray took Stiles by the hand and started leading him toward the dance floor. “Are you going to keep questioning our good luck, or are you going to dance with me, Stilinski?”

There was a point in time not too long ago that Ray felt she might never get to dance with her crush at a party. Finally, after months of dealing with the supernatural, the two were able to let loose. Scott was distracted by the girls that danced around him. The worry of him seeing didn’t even pass through Ray’s mind when she pulled Stiles close. All she could think about was pulling Stiles even closer to make up for all the dance opportunities they missed out on.

Someone shut off the lights for the living room, causing a cheer to erupt from the dancers. Now the only thing illuminating the room was the cheap light machine someone rented and the fairy lights that were hung around as decoration. Now with the darkness as a cover, Ray was able to leave a cheeky kiss on the boy’s cheek. His hand trailing up her side gave her chills. She leaned, kissing along his jaw then down to his neck. Suddenly his hands were trailing down her back, lower. . and lower. .

Their good luck felt great while it lasted, but only one song later they were being interrupted by a pouty looking Scott, causing the two to jump apart from each other as if someone had shocked them. Ray nervously pulled down her skirt to make sure she was still decent while Stiles scratched the back of his head.

“Heather left to the basement with some other guy,” Scott explained.

“There are plenty of other girls here, Scotty,” Ray said optimistically. “Want me to find one for you?”

“No, well, I would but,” Scott down out his phone and showed his two friends the message on the screen. Allison was outside and wanting to talk to him.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. How does she even know where we are?” Stiles asked.

Ray winced and said, “I may have given Lydia the address.”

“Were you intentionally sabotaging the plan?” Stiles accused.

“What? No!”

“What plan?” Scott asked.

“Stiles, we’ll talk later,” Ray said firmly before turning back to Scott and saying, “Let’s go see if Allison is okay. It must be important if they drove a whole town over for it.”

Allison and Lydia had driven all the way to the party to show Scott the matching bruises on their wrist. Lydia didn’t seem too convinced that the bruises meant anything, but Allison was certain they did. While Ray wasn’t too keen on Allison at the moment, she had to agree the bruises looked nearly identical and oddly shaped. She just couldn’t imagine how a hand could form that bruise. Maybe it did mean something more, but how the hell would Scott know anything about it?

“Do you want to ride home with us?” Lydia offered to Ray while Allison and Scott were talking at the hood of the girl’s car.

Lydia had been trying her best to smooth things over between Allison and Ray. Not only did Allison feel bad for threatening Ray, but she had also stabbed one of Ray’s friends in the back, literally. Ray might have been able to forgive Allison for threatening herself, but her friends’ lives were another story. She held her friends close to her heart. Messing with them was the quickest way to get on Ray’s bad side.

France had given Allison many new perspectives. She was able to see why Ray had gone behind her back and told Lydia about her family. She wasn’t angry at Ray, but she still didn’t know if she could trust her fully.

They definitely wouldn’t be back to sharing secrets at sleepovers any time soon.

“I’m gonna pass,” Ray said. “You know the Sprite is all cleaned up, and the backseat in the jeep isn’t as uncomfortable as it looks.”

“Hmm, well, you would be the expert of that from being back there so much,” Lydia said with a smirk, her words having a double meaning.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Ray said shortly. Her eyes landed on Stiles who was leaning against his jeep a few cars away. Lydia’s gaze followed.

“Have you ever laid down back there?” Lydia said suggestively.

“N-no!”

“Then how do you know it’s as comfortable as you say? Maybe you should ask Stiles to test it out with you.”

Ray’s jaw dropped. “That’s-first of all, no. Second of all, no. Third of all-“

Lydia interrupted her. “Oh look, Romeo and Juliet are finally done with their little chat. Night, Ray! Don’t stay out too late in the backseat of the jeep. We have practice tomorrow!”

The next morning, Derek met the teens at the school to talk about the bruise. They were all meeting in an empty classroom, missing their first period. Stiles was seated in a desk that Ray was on top of. Isaac sat on top of the desk next to them, looking paler and paler each time Allison spoke.

“Hey,” Ray said as she gently kicked Isaac’s ankle to grab his attention. “I’ll fill you in later if you just want to head to your classes. You already missed the first day back. No one expects you to sit through this boring crap.”

Isaac looked over the schedule Ray had picked up for him. “Nah, I got English with Hawthorn first period. Sounds like a snooze fest.”

“Do you really?” Ray leaned over to look at the sheet. “I didn’t even realize. I have that class too, and you’re right. His voice almost put me to sleep yesterday, and that was with all the first day back adrenaline.”

Stiles tugged on Ray’s shirt to steal her attention as he said, “Hey, you should switch to my class with the new lady. She seems nice to far.”

“But you have English fifth period. That’s when I have Art.”

“Oh, me too,” Isaac noted.

“Yeah! I saw that one. And History in fourth too.” Ray’s attention turned back to the meeting as Lydia spoke up.

“Pareidolia. Seeing patterns that aren't there,” Everyone looked at her like she had gone mad, the medical terms clearly going right over their heads. She went on, “It's a subset of apophenia.”

“What does subset mean?” Ray whispered to Stiles.

Stiles tried explaining it the best he could without having to draw a picture, “It often goes hand in hand. Like a small circle inside a big circle.”

“Huh,” Ray said, not really getting it, but also not caring enough to ask further.

Derek rolled his eyes, prompting Scott to defend the girls, “They're trying to help.”

“These two?” Derek said in disbelief. He nodded to Lydia, “This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you. And this one-,” he glared at Allison who glared fearlessly right back, “-who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack.”

Isaac glanced between Allison and Derek, looking like he wanted to sink into the floor.

Stiles spoke up, “Okay, alright, now, come on. No one died, alright? Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction.”

“My mother died,” Allison reminded everyone.

Ray’s hand was suddenly on the back on Stiles’s neck, playing with his hair. He was surprised at first since Ray didn’t usually display affection like that in front of others, but eventually, he leaned into the touch, wondering briefly what he had done to deserve it. It felt so nice.

The mention of a mother dying was what made Ray’s heart sink and think of the boy in the desk below her. His eyes closed happily when she lightly scratched his scalp. She frowned down at him and hoped her touch was enough distraction from his memories. The action wasn’t enough to block her own.

“Your family's little honor code killed your mother. Not me,” Derek said lowly.

“That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him, not you.” Allison’s declaration had Ray’s head spinning. It was good to hear she was still loyal to Scott, but clearly, Allison still had issues with Derek. Did those issues include his pack? If Allison went rogue again and Isaac got caught in the crossfire, Ray wasn’t going to just let it slide again.

“You wanna help? Find something real.”

“Derek. . .,” Scott said as he followed the alpha out of the room to have a more private conversation in the hallway.

“Welp!” Ray hopped down from the desk. “Time for class.”

Everyone else collectively groaned. Ray couldn’t help but feel the same. There were another thirty minutes of first period which meant thirty minutes of listening to Hawthorn drag on and on. . At least she had that class with Gabby and a few other cheer girls.

Oh! Maybe she could introduce Isaac to some girls from cheer. . .

“Say, Isaac,” Ray said as the two walked down the hall in the opposite direction as the rest, “What do you think about senior girls in short skirts who say they don’t have time for a relationship this year and just want fun?”

Color was returning to the boy’s face now that the hunter was out of sight. He smirked. “I think, yes.”

Taking Econ second period with Finstock was a big mistake. He was way too amped up for such an early class. Ray kept wanting to fall asleep, her first period teacher had practically put her in a trancelike state with his boring tone, but every time her head would nod off, Coach would hit the board with his fist, getting way too excited about their first lesson now that they finished discussing the syllabus. And, as if the hitting wasn’t enough to wake her up, it would also startle Stiles behind her who was playing with her hair. He would jump every time Coach spontaneously yelled, accidentally pulling strands of Ray’s hair as he jolted.

Ray got fed up. She turned around to glare at him. He tried to look casual, but his red cheeks were a dead giveaway.

“Quit that.”

“Quit what?”

“You know what!”

“If I knew, why would I ask?” Stiles said smartly. He had this smug look like he had won the conversation.

And perhaps he did because Ray faced forward again, giving up on that for now so that she could pay attention to the lesson.

“The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?” Coach asked the class. “Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom. Anybody else?”

Danny and Ray glanced at each other and tried to hold back a laugh. Oh, McCall. Never a dull day with him as their neighbor.

“Uh, no, coach, I know the answer,” Scott said, causing everyone in the class to turn and look at him in awe. McCall never knew the answer to anything. Every time he was called on in class last year, he was a fumbling, nervous wreck..

Coach let out a hearty laugh, waiting for the joke to end. “Oh, you're serious.”

“Yes. Risk and reward.”

“Wow! Who are you? And what have you done to McCall? Don't answer that. I like you better-,” Coach said, pointing at the kid, “I like you better.”

Finstock grabbed a mug from his desk and placed it on the floor in front of Ray. She leaned forward to stare down at it, curious as to what was happening. Her hair snagged on something, causing her to glare over her shoulder again at Stiles. His shoulders shrugged as he mouthed, “Oops.”

“How would you like it if I pulled on your hair?” Ray practically growled. She was almost turned fully in her seat now to glare at the boy.

Stiles leaned forward in his desk, their faces getting awfully close. Ray held her breath as her eyes focused on how perfect his lashes were. God, she was so lucky. So lucky.

“I’m not sure how I’d react. Why don’t we test it out later?”

Ray spun around in her seat at lightning speed to face forward away from him. Her stepbrother to her right was snickering at her. She shot him a menacing look or tried to at least. The blush on her cheeks made it hard to be afraid of her. Danny laughed harder, barely able to control himself.

“Something funny, Danny?” Coach questioned as he slammed his desk drawer shut.

“No, Coach.”

“Alright, then let’s stay focused. I need a quarter. Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter.”

“Yep!” Stiles offered up from behind Ray. Something fell on the floor in between her desk and Danny’s. Coach bent down to grab it as Ray caught sight of it.

Oh- oh _god_.

Danny smiled devilishly at his sister, already making a million assumptions in his head. Ray wanted to hit herself over the head with her Econ book and just end it all. She couldn’t even imagine was kind of look Scott must have been giving the two of them.

Why the hell did Stiles have so many condoms? First the one in his wallet, now he was carrying them in his pocket too? And for what? Protection? Did he think they warded off evil spirits or something?

“Stilinski, I think you, uh- You dropped this,” Coach said, handing the boy back his condom as Stiles gave him the quarter. “And congratulations.”

Ray tugged on her hoodie and slumped in her desk chair. Her face felt like it was on fire.

“Risk and reward,” Coach went on with the lesson like it was any casual Tuesday. “Put the quarter in the mug, win the reward. Okay, watch coach.”

Ray’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She ignored the message, instead choosing to focus on their teacher bounce a quarter on the tile floor to have it land in the mug in front of her. A party trick. The class clapped for him as he cheered.

“That's how you do it!” He grabbed the quarter form the mug. “Okay. Danny. Risk, reward.”

“What's the reward?”

“You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow.” That sounded good. If only Ray was good at that kind of hand-eye coordination stuff. Looks like she’d be taking the quiz, but hey, how hard could it be on their third day?

“Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it,” her brother said smartly.

The quarter was revoked from the boy’s desk. “Danny, you know, I really expect more from you at this point. Really.” Coach took a step down the aisle to ask the boy behind Danny, “McCall. Risk, reward. The risk: If you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop- the- the quiz. And. . and you have to write an essay. Risk, more work. Reward- No work at all. Or choose not to play.”

“But isn't this just chance?” Scott asked.

“No. You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, past experience. . all factors affecting the outcome. So what's it gonna be, McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?”

With Scott’s abilities, he’d get the quarter into that cup no issue. He surprised Ray by sliding the quarter along his textbook, back toward Finstock.

“No play?” Coach said taking the quarter. “Okay. Who's next? Who wants the quarter?” Stiles beat a quick rhythm into his textbook then stood up. “There ya go! There's a gamblin' man! Come on! Step up, step up.”

For some reason, she held her breath as Stiles glided passed her to the front of the room. Coach gave the boy the quarter. Stiles crouched down then caught Ray’s gaze, sending her a quick, playful wink. A shiver ran down her spine.

Maybe. . Maybe she was ready. Seeing his wallet yesterday made her nervous, but why be nervous. This is Stiles, not some stranger. She trusted Stiles. Who would be better to give it away to? Besides, she learned yesterday that he’s a virgin too. There was nothing to be embarrassed over.

Her eyes indulgently scanned his body. He held his hand up ready to throw the quarter.

The classroom door swung open. Ray nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the town’s Sheriff walking in. Holy shit. Did he have the ability to read minds? Was he coming to arrest her for having dirty thoughts about his son? Seriously, did they have to have an open-door policy at school too now to what?

“Stiles,” the sheriff called.

“Yeah, Coach, I got it,” Stiles said, his focus solely on the mug.

“Stiles,” his dad said, louder this time, grabbing his son’s attention. “You, McCall, Nerine, come with me.”

Out in the hall, the Sheriff dropped the news that Heather was missing. He was trying to act professional in front of the deputies, but it was hard for him. He knew this girl, he watched her grow up.

His son was in shock but was quickly realizing the gravity of it all. He asked, “Has no one really seen her since last night?”

The sheriff shook his head, “No. We put out an A.P.B., but, her friends told us you guys were at that party too. We just need to know if you saw anything suspicious, or maybe saw her take something she shouldn’t have. . .”

“The last time we saw her was,” Ray racked her brain for the memory. They had only been at that party for ten minutes, and she had spent most of it focused only on Stiles.

Scott spoke up, “Right before we left, she went down to the wine cellar with some guy. Green shirt, dark hair. . .”

“Yeah, we’ve talked to that kid. He says he left to grab a condom and when he came back, she wasn’t there. Figured she had gone back to her friends,” the sheriff said, sounding tired, “We hope that it's just a series of bad decisions based on too much to drink. But if you remember anything else, you call me. Alright?”

The three teens nodded their heads. The sheriff and his deputies left, leaving the teens to talk in the hall.

“You think this could have something to do with the alpha pack?” Scott asked.

“What would a pack of Alphas want with a teenage girl?” Ray asked. “Unless she was like us?”

“No,” Scott said, “No, I would have smelled it. She’s human.”

“We have to find her,” Stiles said, sounding broken, “We just have to.”

Ray checked her phone before going back into the classes. It was a simple text from Stiles, though it didn’t seem like the time for that conversation. Not just after finding out about Heather.

 _I can explain_ , he had sent.

Ray wondered how you could explain a condom in any way other than for sex.

Fifth period art was a blessing. The teacher was sad to announce yesterday that the whole first week would be briefly going over art history before they could actually get out the canvases and do what they signed up for. Ray didn’t mind one bit. Taking notes about art history wasn’t nearly as boring as taking notes in every other class. Besides, she had Isaac by her side to chat with when their eccentric teacher Miss Costa, was fighting with the projector. The poor lady was having a hard time in between each slide because she only used the device the first week of every year. Its projection was blurry from all the dust on the lens.

The woman sighed as she put on the glasses that were hanging around her neck. She didn’t look nearly old enough to have the glasses hanging around her neck like she did, but the colorful beads on the chain went well with her loose-fitting, mix-matched fabric dress. She mumbled to herself, standing on a chair to examine the projector yet again, “Alright, what is it this time.”

Isaac elbowed Ray and asked, “Who’s this Heather girl Scott says we have to look for now?”

Her pencil was shading a little fish at the top corner of her paper as she spoke, “She's a friend of Stiles. The four of us used to hang out at his place when we were kids. We were at her birthday party last night, and apparently, she went missing from it.”

Seeing how dejected Ray felt about it all made Isaac nudge her again, “Hey, we’ll find her.”

“I hope. Stiles is really tore up about it. He was close with her when we were kids, kinda like how Scotty and I were. If she had gone to our school system, they’d probably be-"

“Best friends?” Isaac guessed since that’s what Ray and Scott were.

“Dating,” Ray said, surprising the blonde. “I read her emotions at the party when she was coming up to Stiles. She was like. .,” Ray blushed. The word she was looking for was lustful, but she didn’t want to say that word out loud. “-She liked him, not platonically. I kinda had the feeling she was gonna kiss him, so I stepped in between them.”

Isaac laughed while Ray ducked her head in shame. “Sounds like someone was jealous.”

“Anyway, now I feel really horrible because Stiles and I ignored her the whole ten minutes we were at that party. His last time seeing her was wasted on me.”

“Pretty sure Stiles doesn’t think any second with you is a waste of time,” Isaac reassured her. “And you shouldn’t feel bad for being jealous, because Stiles gets jealous all the time. Just this morning at the meeting he was jealous.”

“That’s weird. He had no reason to be.”

The whole projector had turned off now. The teacher huffed in annoyance as she tried to work in the darkened room. A nice student got up to turn on the lights for her. Miss Costa squinted and flinched at the sudden brightness.

“Yeah, well-“ Isaac let out an awkward laugh, “Alright, I’ll admit this once and then never again, but I did have a crush on you right after I was bitten.”

Her jaw dropped. “What the hell? Why?”

“You were nice to me, said you’d give me notes if I wanted to leave class because of my dad. But don’t worry, I quickly realized you are nice to all your friends like that. That isn’t how you flirt.”

“That’s because I don’t flirt,” Ray insisted.

“So all the arguing and bickering with Stiles, that’s just cuz you hate him?”

“Precisely.”

“Hmm-,” Isaac leaned back in his chair. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“No comment,” Ray grumbled as she went back to drawing her fish.

“Raymona and Stiles sitting in a tree-“ A wad of paper was thrown at Isaac’s face. He caught it easily, smirking. “K-I-S-“

“I’m going to tell the entire cheer squad that you sleep with a Spider-Man plushie if you don’t stop.”

That shut him up.

A powder blue jeep was parked and waiting for her after cheer practice. It was only the third day of this new routine, but Ray was really starting to like it. She pulled herself into the passenger seat with a huge grin on her face, expecting to hear a compliment from Stiles like the last two days. Maybe he’d ask again if she would want to come over to “study”. This time, she was planning on saying yes.

Instead, what she received from the boy was a painful wince and a mumbling under his breath, “Shit.”

An unsettling feeling washed over the jeep. “What is it?”

“You haven’t checked your phone, have you?” His grave tone had Ray unzipping her gym bag and digging through it. Stiles put his hang on her wrist. “It’s probably better if I just tell you.”

Ten minutes later, Ray was storming into the clinic. Stiles held open the gate for her to get into the back rooms. They walked in on Scott asking Deaton a question.

“How slow does his heart rate need to be?”

“Very slow,” the vet answered gravely.

“Okay, well, how slow is very slow?” Derek asked.

“Nearly dead.”

“We’re not doing this,” Ray stated. Derek poured another bag of ice into the large tub in the middle of the room. “Hey, did you hear me?”

The teenage girl took a step toward the alpha, her hands clenched into fists. Stiles scrambled to grab her arm and yank her away from starting a fight, saying, “Whoa, hey, let's not start attacking people.”

“Scott?” Ray called putting as she tried to wiggle free from Stiles’s hold. “You can’t possibly be okay with this, Scott.”

With everyone in the room watching him, Scott felt so small his shoulder slumped. He didn’t have an answer for the girl. He wasn’t okay with this, any of this, but they already tried other ways to pull the memory from Isaac. Boyd and Erica’s lives were on the line, and they had to find Heather. They had to do this.

Isaac spoke up, trying to ease the tension, “Ray, it’s safe.” He looked to Deaton. “It is safe, right?”

“Do you want me to answer honestly?” the vet said, causing Isaac to swallow thickly.

“We’re not doing this,” Ray said again.

Derek leaned over the side of the tub, clutching the edge harshly. “I told you not to bring her.” His glare flickered to Stiles then to Ray.

Stiles scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “She said she’d be okay-“

“Clearly she isn’t.”

“Because you guys are pressuring him into putting his life on the line!” Ray yelled.

“They’re not pressuring me,” Isaac told her.

Derek finally said something reasonable, “Look, if it feels too risky, you don't have to do this.”

“I want to help find Boyd and Erica. I want to do this.”

That seemed to be enough for Ray to nod her head, agreeing to go along with the plan. She and Stiles held down the boy’s legs while Scott and Derek held down his shoulders. He splashed around the water and fought back against their hold. Ray was having a hard time keeping her grip on his ankle. She felt weak and shaky from the boy’s screaming, but that wasn’t the hardest part. The water was ice cold, shocking her whole arm. Every time Isaac kicked and splashed around, water would go flying, hitting her and Stiles or landing on the ground, soaking their feet.

Finally the struggling came to an end. At first, Ray thought something terrible had happened. She slowly stepped back from the tub, a fear-stricken on her face. Was he. . Dead?

Isaac floated to the surface. His lips gently parted, taking in air gently. Ray let out a sigh of relief and wiped the tears from her face with her freezing hands.

“Now, remember, only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out.” He looked to Derek and Ray to make sure they understood. They each nodded and let him speak, “Isaac? Can you hear me?”

“Yes. I can hear you.” His voice was distant and unsettling. Ray silently took a step behind Stiles. Her hands grabbed the back of his flannel.

“This is Dr. Deaton. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?”

“Yes.”

“I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd. I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible like you're actually there again.”

“I, I don't wanna do that. I don't-,” the boy started moving around in the tub like he was trying to get away. Scott, Derek, and Stiles all reached out to hold him in place. Ray gripped the back of Stiles's shirt in her hands so tightly her knuckles went white as Isaac continued to mumble, “I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna do that.”

“Isaac, it's alright. Just relax. They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory.

Ray thought back to Allison holding a crossbow to her, demanding to know where Derek was. Memories might not be able to physically hurt someone, but they could do damage in other ways.

“I don't wanna do that.” The water slopped around as the boy tried to get free. Stiles was getting most of the splashes from Isaac kicking around his feet. The girl behind him was too frozen in fear to offer a hand in holding down the werewolf’s legs, and Stiles wasn’t about to ask that of her.

“It's alright.”

“I don't wanna do that.”

“Relax, relax,” Isaac finally listened to Deaton’s calming voice and went still again. “Good. . . now let's go back to that night, to the place you found Erica and Boyd. Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?”

“It's not- it's not a house, it’s stone. . I think marble.”

“That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?”

“It's dusty, so empty- like an abandoned building.”

Then the boy started to panic again. The lights flickered, followed by thunder booming overhead. Derek gave the girl a harsh gaze, silently telling her to get ahold of herself. She wanted to shy away from him and tuck herself behind Stiles’s shoulder, but the boy was bent over the tub and not tall enough to completely cover her.

“Isaac? Isaac?” The vet called out.

“Someone's here,” he whispered. Everyone in the room held their breaths for a second before the boy started splashing around again, “Someone's here!”

“Isaac, relax.”

“No, no, no, they see me, they see me!”

“Just memories,” Deaton reminded him, “You won't be hurt by your memories. Just relax. Relax.” The boy calmed down again. “Good. Now tell us what you see. Tell us everything.”

There was a moment of silence and then Isaac whispered, “I hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises.”

“Is he talking to Erica?”

“I think so, I can't- I can't see her, I c-I can't. . I can't see either of them.”

“Can you hear anything else?”

“They're worried, they're worried what they'll do during the moon. They're. . worried that they're gonna hurt each other.”

Derek spoke quietly, saying what everyone was thinking, “If they're locked in together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart.” Boys and Erica hadn’t learned how to control their shift before they disappeared.

“Isaac,” Deaton said, “we need to find them right now. Can you see them?”

“No.”

“Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of a marker, a number on a door, a sign?”

Isaac gasped and sat up. “They're here. They’re- they’re-“

“It's alright.”

“No-“ Isaac began panicking.

Stiles tried holding his legs down, but couldn’t do it alone. He let out a thankful breath as Ray leaned over next to him to hold down a leg. There was a tear running down her cheek. He thought of reaching out and wiping it, but the werewolf kicked violently in the tub, causing a rush of water to spray into Stiles and the girl. The tear now mixed in with a bunch of other water droplets, some falling from the hairs that had come loose from her ponytail.

Isaac was yelling now, “They see me. They found me. They're here!”

“This isn't working!” Derek yelled. “Isaac, where are you?”

“I can't see them. It's too dark!”

“Just tell me where you are.”

“You are confusing him,” Deaton said. Ray’s eyes flickered a bright sea green for a moment. Stiles was thankful he wasn’t on the receiving end of the deadly look she was giving Derek.

“I can't see!”

“Isaac, where are you? Just tell me where you are.”

“His heart rate- he could go into shock.”

Scott was yelling now, “Derek, let him go!” That was cue for Ray to take her hands out of the water. A low snarl came through her clenched teeth. Stiles let go of Isaac’s ankle just in time to wrap his hands around Ray’s middle and prevent her from lunging at Derek.

Derek was still yelling, “Isaac, where are you? What did you see?”

“There’s a dead body,” Isaac said in horror. Ray stopped struggling against Stiles’s hold. Everyone in the room held their breaths to listen. He went on, sounding like he couldn’t believe it, “It’s Erica.”

Derek stumbled back, blinking rapidly with his mouth slightly open in shock. Ray turned in Stiles’s hold to tuck herself away in the crook of his neck. Scott used the table behind him for support, placing a hand over his heart.

Deaton spoke up since it seemed no one else was going to, “Isaac, do you know where you saw it?”

The blonde sat up quickly, practically jumping out of the water as he spoke, “A vault! It's a bank vault!” He was clearly awake now and trying to stand. Scott helped him out of the tub and put a blanket over his shoulders. “I saw it! I saw the name. It's, uh. . B- beacon hills first national bank. It's, um- it's an abandoned bank, and they're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault.”

The blonde looked around the room, shivering. Derek couldn’t look at him. Scott’s eyes were watery. Ray was crying into Stiles’s chest. Deaton had his head down, clearly in deep thought.

Isaac was almost too scared to ask, “What?”

Stiles’s chest rumbled against Ray’s cheek as he spoke. “You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?”

“No,” Isaac looked to Derek for an explanation, but the alpha still couldn’t look at him.

Scott spoke up, “You said when they captured you that they dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it.”

“What body?”

“Erica,” Ray mumbled. “You said it was Erica.”

Derek shook his head and began pacing. “She's not dead.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and said, “Derek, he said, ‘There’s a dead body. It's Erica.’ Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation.”

“Then who was in the vault with Boyd?”

“Someone else, obviously.”

“And maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle,” Scott offered, “The one who saved you?”

Isaac pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “No, she wasn't like us. And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was.”

“Maybe it’s Heather?” Ray guessed, looking up at Stiles to see what he thought. He frowned.

“So what? They replaced Erica with her? Why do they need two betas who don’t even know how to control themselves on the full moon?” Scott asked.

“What if that's how Erica died?” Derek said.

“They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives,” Stiles realized, “It's like werewolf Thunderdome.”

Ray didn’t like the sound of that. She stepped back from the boy and hugged her middle, hoping to warm up her freezing hands.

“Then we get them out tonight,” Derek decided.

Deaton warned, “Be smart about this, Derek. You can't just go storming in.”

“If Isaac got in, then so can we.”

“But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?”

“We need a plan,” Scott said. Already, Stiles was researching something on his phone.

Derek crossed his arms. “How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours?”

“Uh, I think someone already did,” Stiles said, looking at his phone, “‘Beacon hills first national closes its doors three months after vault robbery.’ Doesn't say here how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out.”

“How long?”

“It's the Internet, Derek. Okay? Minutes.”

Ten hours later, Raymona woke up next to the wall on Stiles Stilinski’s bed. Stiles himself was half off the bed, face down in a pile of papers. Scott was in the desk chair, leaning back in a way that made Ray’s neck hurt just looking at him. With what little self-control she still had, she pulled herself out of bed. The printer was beeping annoyingly, making it hard to fall back asleep anyway. After shoving a fresh stack of paper in it, she went to the bathroom. The scary reflection in the mirror reminded her that she was still wearing her makeup from the day before, or what was left of it, and she hadn’t showered after yesterday’s practice.

She peaked her head into Stiles’s shower, praying he didn’t use 3-in-1. Her prayers were answered as her eyes landed on a bottle of cheap conditioner from the grocery store. Thank you, Jesus.

After Stiles came back from running after his dad, he realized Ray wasn’t in his room that morning. He fell back into his bed in exhaustion. Had she walked home in the middle of the night? He hadn’t fallen asleep until at least 3. Hopefully she called Danny for a ride. She could have just woken him up and had Stiles drive her home. He wouldn’t have minded. .

Scott asked, “Hey, can I borrow some clothes?”

“Me too?” Ray’s voice came from the doorway. Her wet hair was stuck to her shoulders, and all she was wearing was a blue towel from his bathroom. “I just need a shirt. My jeans from yesterday are in my gym bag.”

“Uh, yeah no, have at it guys. Mi casa es su casa.”

Ray grabbed her gym bag and said, “Pick me out a pretty one, Scotty.”

Scott grimaced as he flicked through the hangers in the closet. One of them said, ‘I support local moms’ with a questionable image. Another just flat out said, ‘Obnoxious’. That one was a little on the nose for Stiles.

“I’m sure there’s something wearable in here for you, Ray,” Scott yelled to the girl as she went back down the hall to the bathroom with her gym bag.

“Are my clothes not wearable?” Stiles said, faking offense.

“Dude,” Scott held up the single moms shirt. “Totally unwearable.”

In the school parking lot, Danny and Jayden were giving Ray a hard time about having to meet her to give her fresh gym clothes for cheer while Scott and Stiles waited for her at the jeep.

“You told Mom you were sleeping at Brenda’s house!” Jayden said, awestruck as he looked from his sister’s tshirt and flannel combo then back to the jeep.

“You didn’t seriously spend the night with Stilinski,” Danny said, rolling his eyes.

“Scott was there too,” Ray said in defense.

Danny smirked and said, “Threesome. Nice.”

“No, you perv!” Ray smacked his shoulder. “Disgusting.”

“I thought mom said you couldn’t spend the night there?” Jayden asked.

“She did, which is why I told her I was at Brenda’s. In other words this,” Ray gestured between the three of them, “-little exchange? Stays between us.”

“What’s in it for us?” Jayden said, crossing his arms.

Danny put a hand on his shoulder, “No dude, it will balance out eventually when she keeps a secret for you.”

Ray smiled brightly. “See how it works?”

“Who says I’ll need you to keep a secret for me?” Jayden said defensively.

“Oh, JayJay, welcome to high school.” Ray sent him a wink before running back to her friends, stuffing her fresh gym clothes in her cheer bag as she ran.

“So what do we do now?” Stiles was asking.

“Now we go to class,” Scott said. “We’ll meet Derek with the plan at five, after Ray’s practice.”

“Oh thank god,” Ray mumbled. Both boys gave her odd looks. “What? That gives you two plenty of time after school to figure out every detail of the break-in. I don’t even have to think about it.”

After staying up into the early hours of the morning fighting with Stiles’s printer, Ray was happy to not be on the research team. She was totally okay with going through her school day without a thought in her head. Junior year was supposed to be normal, not a repeat of last year. Between making new friends in cheer and taking Art instead of god awful French, Ray was enjoying being at school for once.

“No yeah,” Stiles sarcastically rolled his eyes. “Just have us do all the work.”

“Exactly!” Ray said excitedly. “Now you’re getting it, Stilinski! I shouldn’t have to work, I’m pretty.”

Scott chuckled while Stiles scoffed. The three stopped at their lockers which were all in a row.

“Does that mean I’m not pretty?” Scott asked with a fake pout.

“You are pretty, Scott. In fact, you should join my side and we could make Stilinski do all the dirty work.”

“That cheer skirt is really starting to get to your head,” Stiles said as he flicked her forehead.

Ray grabbed his hand and got so close to his face their noses were almost touching. He looked like a fish out of water, frozen in shock. Scott was right next to them. What the hell was she doing?! Her smirk was tempting. She was so close he could smell the flavor of her gloss, his favorite one to kiss. He swallowed thickly.

“Or is it getting to yours?” She whispered lowly. Before he could answer, he was shoved back and she was gone, down the hall and calling over her shoulder, “See you losers in Econ!”

Her hair looked so pretty squishing back and forth against the blue flannel she was wearing. Stiles didn’t know if he would make it all through first period without her. He also didn’t think he’d survive sitting behind her in Econ.

Scott laughed at their exchange. “Dude, you’re literally the color of a tomato.”

“I-shut up.”

“Come on, man-“ Scott swung his arm over his shoulder, “Let's get to class. Maybe then there’ll be thoughts in your head that don’t involve my neighbor’s cheer skirt.”

“Highly doubt it.”

Derek’s loft was. . . Fancy? Spacious. Cold, definitely way too cold. Ray’s hand trailed over the brick arch design and wondered how many thousands he was paying a month for this place and how the hell he could afford something like this. Wasn’t he living in the burnt remains of the Hale house before? If Derek had this kind of money, why not buy a whole new mansion instead of living in ruins for months?

Ray was paying more attention to the giant spiral staircase and wondering where the hell it led to rather than Stiles’s rambling about the plan.

“Okay. You see this? This is how they got in. It's a rooftop air conditioning vent. Leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here. Okay? One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft. Now, that space is so small, it took him about 12 hours to drill into that wall, which is stone, by the way. Then throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys back on the roof through that one little shaft in the wall. Boom.”

He hit the map, drawing Ray’s attention to the giant, very heaving looking, wooden desk it was laid out on.

Seriously? Was Derek Hale some sort of millionaire? Even with Isaac’s werewolf hearing, she doubted he was able to hear them from wherever his room was in this castle of a “loft”. The place sort of reminded her of something, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Can we fit in there?” Scott asked.

“Yes, we can, but very, very barely. And they also patched the wall, obviously, so we're gonna need a drill of some kind. I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit-“

“Look, forget the drill,” Derek said.

“Sorry?”

“If I go in first, how much space do I have?”

“What do you- what do you think you're gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?”

“Yes, Stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall,” Derek said, a small smug smile displayed on his lips.

Wait a second. . Tons of money. Dark decor. Brooding personality. Dead family. The need to punch things. . . Holy shit. Derek Hale is Batman. Ray's eyes went wide. She looked around the loft again with that new perspective in mind.

“Okay, okay, big guy. Let's see it. Let's see that fist. Big, ole fist. Make it, come on- get it out there,” Stiles was egging him on. If Ray hadn’t been so distracted with the lavish room they were in, she’d be stepping between the two. Stiles was just going to have to learn his lesson from this one. “Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf. Yeah, look at that. Okay, see this? That's maybe 3 inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid co- AH!” Derek punched the boy’s hand. He cradled it and stumbled backward into Ray who had come out of her daze about how fancy the apartment was on impact.

Stiles walked himself all the way to the giant sliding front door like he was a baseball player walking off a ball to the hand. “He could do it!. . Ah! My god-why?”

Ray met him by the door to gingerly pull his hand from where he had it tucked away in his chest and take a took. “Does it feel broken?”

“No!” Stiles said in a high pitched voice. “I’m good. See?” He opened and closed his hand a few times for good measure.

“Batcave,” Ray suddenly whispered. She looked over her shoulder at Derek to see he was distracted by something Peter was saying.

“W-what?”

She spoke lowly, hoping the werewolves weren’t listening in. “We’re in. The. Batcave.”

Stiles looked around the room, his eyes went wide. “Oh, shit.”

“Right? The weird, unnecessarily big, circular doorways. The absence of lighting. The black sports car. . .” Ray looked around the room again, smiling bright. The hanging lanterns twinkled in her eyes.

Stiles’s heart was pounding in his ears. He felt it now more than he ever had. Tell her. Do it, he willed himself.

“I think I l-“

“Who’s following me down?” Derek’s voice boomed throughout the giant entryway.

“Don't look at me,” Peter said from the extravagant staircase, “I'm not up to fighting speed yet, and honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself.”

“So I'm supposed to just let them die?”

“One of them is already dead.”

Stiles caught Ray staring at the floor. He took her hand, his thumb rubbing against the back of it.

“We don't know that,” Derek insisted.

“Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of alphas. All of them, killers, and if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed.”

“Could someone kill him again, please?” Stiles asked.

Peter ignored the boy, “Derek, seriously? Not worth the risk.”

An angry exhale left through Derek’s nose. He put his hands on the table and examined the map again. “What about you?”

Stiles jumped at the opportunity, “Y- yeah, if you want me to come-“

“Not you.”

“Got it.”

Everyone looked to Scott for his opinion, “I don't know about Erica. But if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something. We have to try.”

“But?” Derek assumed there was something more by the look on Scott’s face.

“Who's the other girl? The one locked in there with Boyd?”

“Heather?” Ray guessed.

“Could be,” Derek said with a shrug.

“I’m in,” Ray started firmly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no you’re not,” Stiles disagreed.

Everyone in the room looked at the boy like he was crazy. Ray tried not to be offended. She knew he just wanted her to stay safe, but now was not the time for debate. Her hand slipped away from his.

She turned to Derek to tell him, “My lightning can stun people, and I can heal Boyd and the girl if they need it.”

“But you can’t heal yourself, Ray,” Stiles reminded her. “You aren’t going.”

His disapproval fell on deaf ears. Ray went on, “I’ll just need a water bottle.”

A few moments later they were outside waiting at the fancy camero. Derek had found Ray a canteen to wear over her shoulder. It was all black and shiny. Stiles was looking rather pale, so she cheered him up by showing him the canteen and saying, “Look, Batman let me borrow one of his tools.”

Her joke was ignored.

“Can’t believe you’re doing this,” he grumbled. Again, he wanted to add. He had asked her not to go to that showdown with Jackson last semester, but she insisted. He begged her, hell, he even cried. That’s how he knew there was no changing her mind now. Once Ray got it in her head that her friends were in trouble, she couldn’t help herself.

“Scott and Derek will be there. If any Alphas come at me, I’ll just zap ‘em! Look-,” Ray excitedly showed the boy the currents of blue lightning weaving across her fingertips.

He wished he could kiss her. He wished he could say he wished he could is her, but one of the werewolves standing around them would surely hear. His hand swept through his hair and he looked down at the ground. Ray stopped messing with her ability and frowned.

“Hey, Stilinski. I’m serious, you don’t gotta worry about me.”

His arms wrapped around her and squeezed her so tight she thought he was trying to break her in half. She hesitated hugging him back for a moment, trying to remember where friends put their hands during hugs. She wanted to tangle them in the hair on the back of his neck, but that didn’t seem like just friend behavior, and Scott was watching, and Derek and Peter were watching. . She stiffly put her hands mid-back and hoped that looked natural.

“Don’t go.” He hates how pathetic he sounded.

“What about Heather?”

“What about you?” He asked, pulled away slightly to look at her.

“I want to find her. I don’t want you to be sad.”

Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times. It felt like his heart was wrapped in a heating blanket. She wanted to do this, not only for Boyd- for him. Now he really couldn’t let her go. He’d never forgive himself.

“Ray, there’s something I’ve been waiting to tell you all summer, and-“

“Ray, let's go,” Derek urged as he got into the driver's seat.

“Tell me when I get back!” Ray told Stiles cheerily as she patted his cheek.

She was the only one not able to hear his whisper as she ran off.

“Please come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys' weeks are going according to plan. Mine's a little hectic. I commute 40 minutes to work now since the salon in my town hasn't opened back up yet, so that's been...fun (smile through the pain, kids). On the bright side, quite literally, the air quality is good enough to not be able to look directly at the sun anymore. I'm seeing blue skies today!  
> And yeah, when I wrote this chapter, I asked myself, "How much Isaac do I want to include?" and the answer was yes.  
> Stay safe out there! And thank you for reading !!


	27. Left Unsaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this chapter is a little late! I hated it! I scrapped nearly everything and started over. Teen Wolf doesn't have many filler episodes, but this definitely felt like one of them. I hope you enjoy!!

The alleyway was dimly lit by an orange flickering streetlight. The gravel crunched awkwardly loud beneath Ray’s converse. Her footsteps were so loud that she felt like she wouldn’t even be able to hear someone running up behind her. Or maybe that was just her brain making up crazy scenarios from how fast her heart was pumping blood to it. The dumpster nearby had a cracked lid and sat at an angle like someone had been recently moving it and going through it. They probably didn’t find much of anything. This area wasn’t the best part of town. Most of the buildings along these narrow downtown streets had been abandoned years ago in favor of being closer to the highway.

Derek had parked around the block to not raise suspicion, not that it was even necessary. The group hadn’t seen a single car drive by since they got here. Even though they seemed to be alone, Ray had been practically attached to Scott’s hip the entire walk. Every rustle from a critter in the trash on the ground made Ray jump.

Maybe, just this once, Stiles was right. She shouldn’t have come.

Scott must have been feeling the same way too because he stopped just before making it to the fire escape they had to climb up.

“What?” Derek asked him.

“There's just something I can't get out of my head,” Scott admitted.

“The moon's rising, Scott. What is it?”

“Risk and reward,” the boy explained. Ray raised her eyebrows, impressed that Scott had actually been paying attention in that day's lesson. He had been better lately about school, but she still worried he’s fall back into old habits like daydreaming about Allison instead of paying attention in class.

“Which means what?” Derek asked impatiently.

“We're not measuring the risk with enough information. We don't know enough.”

“We know time's running out.”

“Yeah, but think about it. They put the triskele on your door four months ago. What have they been doing all this time? Why wait until now?”

“What if- what if they’ve been testing Boyd every full moon against other betas. .,” Ray said in horror.

“We don't have the time to figure out every little detail.”

“Okay, but what if this detail, the reason why they waited- what if it's the most important one?” Scott asked.

“Then we do nothing!” Derek said. “And Boyd and Erica are dead. I know what I'm risking. My life for theirs. And I won't blame you if you don't follow me.” The alpha did some impressive jumping to get up on the fire escape. Ray rolled her eyes then walked forward to follow him. Scott’s eyes went wide.

“Ray, wait. Your heart has been racing since we parked. You don’t have to follow him.”

She put her hands on her hips and said, “And do what? Wait here in this creepy ass alley and get murdered? Derek has the keys to his car! Following you idiots is my only option.” She sighed and looked up at the ladder. “Besides, if Boyd is in there. . I want to help. I came to help.”

Scott nodded in agreement, but he didn’t look too happy about it.

Derek swung his fist at the wall. The stone cracked and the whole building seemed to shake. He sent a second punch, this one going more than halfway through the stone. When he pulled his hand out, it was all bloody with chunks of stone caught in his knuckles. Ray had to close her eyes so that she wouldn’t puke at the sight of it. He went in for a third hit. Chunks of the stone fell with a clatter to the floor of the vault. Derek threw himself at the wall, barreling through the crumbling stone and creating a hole big enough for someone to fit through.

If Ray still had any doubts about Derek’s ability to care for people, those were whisked away at the sight of the sharp chunks of stone jutting out of the space between the man’s fingers. He would have done anything to save Boyd, not only risk his own like but repeatedly put himself into literal bone-crushing pain.

“Boyd?” Derek called out. Scott went in next. A low growl almost made Ray not want to climb through the wall. Derek was still talking calmly, so Ray decided to be brave and follow Scott in there. “Boyd? It's me. It's Derek.”

Scott’s phone went off. He was quick to pull it out and silence it then realized who was calling. “Stiles, now is not the best time.”

A pair of yellow eyes flashed from the other side of the dark vault. The hole Derek created only let in a hint of moonlight, but that small bit seemed to scatter across the room just enough to see shadowy shapes. Something about the darkness made everything more terrifying. Ray sparked up her hand, creating a small blue glow. The light didn’t travel far and flickered across her skin inconsistently, but it made her feel slightly more secure now that she had a flashlight of sorts. There was someone with huge shoulders standing not even twenty feet from them. That someone growled at the spark she had created. Their yellow eyes were back now, angered and seeing her hand as a threat.

“What does that mean?” Scott whispered into the phone.

Derek put his hand up to show surrender. He took a careful step toward the yellow eyes and spoke calmly, “We're here to get you out, okay?” The alpha must have been able to see further in the dark to know the shadowy figure was Boyd.

Another low growl sent a shiver down Ray’s spine. She could faintly hear Stiles’s voice on the phone from how loud he was talking, but it wasn’t loud enough for her to understand a single word. By the way Scott was reacting to the words, Ray didn’t know if she even wanted to be able to hear the boy.

“Derek, we got a problem, a really big problem,” Scott said.

“Cora?” Derek sounded like he couldn’t believe his eyes. A woman stepped out from behind a pillar.

“Who?” Scott asked. He handed Ray the phone then took a step toward Derek.

“Scott? Scott?” Stiles was yelling.

“It’s me,” Ray barely whispered, afraid if she made to much noise, something bad would happen.

“Cora?” Derek said again.

The woman, Cora, spoke in a low tone, “Derek, get out. Get out now!”

“Ray! You have to listen to me,” Stiles rushed, “You have to get out of there! The walls-” Ray wasn’t listening. Her focus was on the vault door swinging open and letting in a trail of light. A woman leaned over the threshold and dropped something onto the ground.

Ray’s hands went numb. She knew exactly what that was.

“No. No! Wait!” Scott yelled, but it was too late.

Around the edge of the room, there was a line of mountain ash. They were locked in by nine other than the school guidance counselor. Ms. Morell brushed the excess ash from her hands then back away from the vault door, leaving it open since no one was able to escape anyway. Scott’s phone slipped from her hand and dropped to the floor. Boyd lunged forward at Scott, causing Ray to scream.

Back at the loft, Stiles was clutching his phone so tight his knuckles were white. Peter rolled his eyes at the drama as Stiles yelled into his phone.

“Ray? Ray!” All that could be heard on the other line was growling and the sound of bodies being slammed into things. “Baby, please say something! Anything!”

Isaac had hesitantly walked down the spiral staircase to see what all the yelling was for. He spoke out, sounding groggy like he had just woken up from a nap, “You guys let her go?”

Stiles’s face scrunched up as he bit the inside of his cheek. He was trying to keep from having an outburst, but Isaac had just set him off. He looked at the phone in his hand and yelled, “Fuck!” His hand raised in the air like he was going to grow his phone. Peter got up from the staircase and grabbed his arm before Stiles could do something he’d regret.

“Alright, enough with the teen theatrics,” Peter said, sounding bored. “Bet you wouldn’t even be freaking out if you had just said what you wanted to say earlier instead of wimping out.”

Stiles tore his arm from the werewolf’s grasp and squinted at him. Isaac caught sight of the fist forming at Stiles’s side. He stepped between the two just in time to grab Stiles and hold him back.

Peter’s jaw hardened and his voice got low, “Kid, I could throw you clear across this room.”

“Oh!” Stiles sarcastically rolled his eyes. “-so you have the energy to do that but not to go with them to the bank?!”

Isaac looked to Peter in disbelief. “You chose not to go with them?” He looked back to Stiles. “Why didn’t you guys wake me up? I would have-“

“We aren’t anywhere near ready to be fighting a pack of Alphas,” Peter reminded him.

“But Ray, Scott, and Derek are?” Isaac fired back. “We could be doing more than sitting around here! Stiles, you have your jeep?”

While that conversation was going on, the battle at the bank was in full swing. Derek was managing to keep a hold on Cora, but only barely. This left Scott and Ray to deal with Boyd alone who was taller, stronger, faster and had seemingly no control whatsoever over his shift.

“You know her?” Scott yelled as Derek grabbed Cora’s arms.

“She's my sister!” Derek yelled back, “My younger sister!”

Ray ducked and weaves around the pillars as Boyd chased her. “Can you get control of her and help us with this? Ah!” Boyd had swung for her and just barley missed, cutting the strap of the canteen instead. It clattered time the floor as Ray continued her run.

“What does it look like I’m doing?!” Derek yelled back, clearly annoyed.

“What the hell is she even doing here?” Scott asked.

“Like I have a clue. I thought she was dead!”

Scott has taken it upon himself to grab Boyd’s attention to keep the beta away from Ray so that she could catch a breath. Boyd charged past the pillar Ray was hiding behind to get to Scott. Ray jumped out as he passed and grabbed his arm, sending a blue wave of electricity up his arm and across his whole chest. A guttural roar turned into a painful very human-sounding scream as Boyd fell to his knees. Ray let go of the boy as his shoulders slumped forward. His head hung low, not having enough energy to even look up at her. Scott ran back toward the two of them in awe.

“Boyd?” Scott called softly. Boyd was breathing heavily, but he didn’t respond. “Boyd. . It’s me, Scott. We’re here to help get you out of here.” Still, no response. Scott put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Boyd-“

A claw slashed out across Scott’s stomach. Ray shoved Boyd to knock him over, but the boy didn’t move against her pathetic attempt. Instead, he stood, his eyes glowing the bright yellow again now that they were focused on her. Ray started walked backward away from him.

“Look out!” A familiar voice yelled from the vault door. As Ray turned to start running, she locked eyes with Allison Argent. There wasn’t even enough time to wonder what the hunter was doing here before Boyd’s hand grabbed her side and swiveled her back to face him. His claws dug deep enough to hear a wet slash.

“Ray!” Scott cried out. Ray’s hand gingerly touched her side. It was instantly caked in bright red blood.

“No! Don’t break the seal!” Derek yelled out.

Boyd raised his claws in the air again. The girl put a weak hand above her head as if she was going to be able to block him. Suddenly a hand came from behind Boyd and dug its claws deep into his shoulder to yank him back. Scott was fully shifted now and bared his teeth at the other beta, but Boyd didn’t show an ounce of fear. He roared at Scott then swung his arm up, digging his claws into Scott’s stomach and lifting him off the floor.

Ray screamed out in horror as her best friend coughed up blood. Boyd slashed further up, causing Scott to go limp and stop fighting against the hold.

“Boyd!” Allison called out as she broke the line of ash.

The werewolf’s attention turned to the vault door. Scott’s body slipped from his fingertips and fell to the marble floor. In his struggle to grab Boyd, Derek lost his grip on Cora. Both wolves ran out of the vault, now free to run around the town.

By the time Allison made it to Scott, Ray was already leaning over him with her water canteen emptied. Her hands were pressing into the deep gashed up his stomach. Allison gasped at how much color had drained from the boy’s face.

“His heartbeat is faint,” Derek said as he kneeled next to Ray, across from Allison.

“We have to get him to the hospital,” Allison whispered. “He can’t-he can’t heal from all this alone. . .” Her voice trailed out as she watched some of the blood trail back up his stomach and disappear under Ray’s hold. Allison’s lips parted in shock. She studied the girl’s face next to her. Ray’s eyes were closed in a deep concentration. Tears continued to fall, dripping from her chin.

Allison’s eyes flickered to Derek for an explanation. “What’s-“

“She’s healing him,” Derek told her.

The words of confirmation gave Ray the courage to open her eyes. Scott’s eyes were still closed. She moved her hands up his chest to focus the healing closer to his heart now that his stomach wasn’t bleeding out so rapidly.

“Come on, Scotty,” she whispered.

Derek let out a tired sigh then took the boy’s hand. A black liquid filled up his veins and trailed up the Alpha’s arm. Scott’s eyes opened wide with a gasp. They glowed a bright yellow, but for just a second Ray swore ahead thought she saw a different color. She must have imagined the vibrant red after staring at all the blood.

“Oh thank god,” Allison said as she brushed the hair from his forehead.

“Yeah,” Ray mumbled. Suddenly her head felt light. Derek caught her shaking her head like she was trying to keep awake. His eyes landed on the wet patch of red on her shirt.

“Maybe we should get you to the hospital, though,” Derek told the girl as he helped her up.

“No, no I’m good.” She lifted her shirt to reveal the claw marks, or what could be seen of them through all the blood. “It’s not deep.” At the sight of the injury, her adrenaline started to fade away, causing the pain to set in. She held her breath.

Derek pointed to the slash in the center, the longest one that had been created with Boyd’s middle finger. “That one will need stitches. The other ones I’m not sure.”

“I can do them,” Scott said as Allison helped him up.

“You’re still healing yourself,” Allison said.

Derek’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “And the fighting isn’t done yet, no thanks to you.”

“Well, your welcome!” Allison said, raising her voice.

Derek moves to grab her, but Scott wobbly stepped between the two and said, “Don't touch her.”

“What were you thinking?

“That I had to do something!”

“She saved our lives,” Scott said.

“Yeah, and what do you think they're gonna do out there? Do you have any idea what we just set free?”

Ray couldn’t help but feel like Derek has a point. At the same time, Boyd had been seconds away from killing her best friend. She was grateful for what Allison did and too tired to argue about it. All she cared about was how cold the marble wall as that she had to lean against to keep herself up.

“You want to blame me? Well, I am not the one turning teenagers into killers,” Allison seethed.

“No. No, that's just the rest of your family.”

“I made mistakes. Gerard is not my fault.”

“And what about your mother?”

Ray’s eyes finally opened at that, feeling slightly more awake not that secrets were being told.

“What do you mean?”

“Tell her, Scott,” Derek said before storming off.

“What does he mean, Scott? What does he mean?”

Scott was still holding his chest as it finished healing up. He looked to Ray for help, but she avoided his gaze, not able to say it herself. It had been Scott’s choice to keep the truth from Allison, and Ray honestly agreed that the girl shouldn’t know. Allison didn’t exactly react in the best ways when her mother passed. This secret could push her over the edge again. People almost died the last time Allison was pushed over the edge.

“She tried killing you,” Allison guessed.

Scott nodded. His whisper of confirmation could barely be heard.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“I'll tell you everything, okay? I'll tell you a-anything that you want to know, but right now-“ He looked down at Ray. Her face was already starting to lose its color. Scott wanted to explain everything to Allison with all the details she needed but now wasn’t the time. His best friend was bleeding out.

Allison took in a huge breath through her nose to collect herself, but it ended up sounding more like a sniffle. She was trying not to cry, but her voice sounded broken as she asked, “Just tell me why.”

“I. . . I couldn't- Allison, I couldn't let that be the last memory that you had of her-“

Their voices were starting to sound muffled. Was the vault tilting? A faint ringing was distracting Ray. She hadn’t even heard Allison’s response to the boy. Ray’s weight slumped forward. Someone’s arm shot out to catch her fall.

“She doesn’t heal herself?” Allison asked.

“She can’t. Only others,” Scott explained. He squeezed Ray’s shoulder and asked, “You good to walk?”

“Don’t tell Stiles,” Ray said breathlessly.

Scotty looked so scared. Her hand reached up to pat his cheek, accidentally getting a little bit of blood on him. As the wet blood touched his cheek, the boy froze up, not knowing what to do. Allison threw one of Ray’s arms over her shoulder, taking initiative.

“Take her other side,” Allison rushed.

Just as they started to leave, they met up with Derek who was carrying a body in his arms. Ray’s feet were struggling to stay planted to the ground. Erica’s skin didn’t even look like skin. It was purple and blue, like something straight out of a horror film. She probably would have thrown up if her pain wasn’t desensitizing her from it all.

“I can. . I can drop you two off at the hospital,” Allison offered to Ray and Scott so that Derek could be alone.

“The clinic,” Ray corrected.

Scott’s eyes went wide. “Ray! No! We are taking you to the hospital! You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“I just need a couple bandages-“

“Derek said you need stitches,” Allison told her.

“My mom can’t know. My mom can’t know,” Ray said desperately. She looked at her best friend. “Please, Scotty. You said you could do the stitches. Scott, please.”

The two placed her into the backseat. Scott shook his head. “I hate this. I hate this so much, Ray.” He looked at Allison. “Take us to the clinic. I’ll have Stiles meet us there and unlock it ahead of time.”

“No Stiles,” Ray insisted.

“Either we take you to the hospital or I’m calling Stiles for help! So which is it, Ray? And decide quick because you’re bleeding out all over Allison’s car!”

A pain ached in her chest, almost deep enough to distract her from the stinging on her side. She hated when Scotty was mad at her. It took a lot to make him raise his voice like that.

“No hospital. Take me to the clinic.”

At the clinic parking lot, Isaac quickly rushed to Ray’s side to replace Allison while Stiles opened the door for them. Allison stood back awkwardly and watched the three boys take in the other girl. If two betas weren’t wolfed out and on the loose, Allison might have stayed to make sure Ray was okay. But Allison wondered if that was even her place anymore. Ray wasn’t her friend. She probably didn’t want her there.

Allison got back in her car and decided she was going to go where she was needed.

Scott leaned Ray against the examination table inside. The boys rushed around the room to gather up all the supplies. After all the bandaging was laid out on the table, Scott helped her onto it. A slight whimper escaped her lips as Ray took off her shirt.

“Uh uhmm-,” Isaac said awkwardly, “I’m just gonna-“

“Get the hell out?” Stiles finished for him, sounding pissed.

“Yup, no yeah-“ the boy turned on his heel, but Scott put a hand on his shoulder.

“You have to help hold her down,” Scott told him, sounding low and serious after seeing how much blood was dripping from Ray.

Not all of the claw marks down her side were insanely deep, but they stung like hell. The deepest cut hadn’t stopped bleeding, even with all the pressure she had been putting on it in the car. Before Scott could start stitching her, he’d have to be able to actually see the cut. Ray wiped her side with a white rag. It looked like almost nothing came off her skin, but the rag was instantly stained bright red. She reached for the hydrogen peroxide, thinking that would help rinse and clean it, but Stiles’s hand got to it first.

“Just lay down. We’ll do it,” he told her.

Ray winced as she tried to get comfortable on top of the cool metal. Stiles stood next to her, his nose flared and his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek. He didn’t give her a warning before starting to pour the disinfectant over her cut. At first, she hissed and her body jerked away from it, but Isaac held her shoulders down. She held her breath and tried to stay still for him to finish cleaning it.

When he put the bottle down to reach for the Neosporin, she asked, “What? You’re not gonna tell me ‘I told you so’?”

Scott took the medicine to smooth it over the cuts. Stiles clenched his jaw and looked away from the table, blatantly ignoring her remark. Scott set up everything he needed for stitches. The entire time Isaac had his hands on her shoulder and his eyes closed respectfully. Stiles glared at Isaac before Scott told him to put his hands on Ray’s hips to help hold her down.

“I’ve only done this a few times on dogs. . And they usually are sedated or have an anesthetic,” Scott admitted.

“I trust you,” Ray told him. Having Stiles’s hands on her hips was sending shivers up her sides and back. She wiggled under his touch, trying to get comfortable.

Scott winced. “That's not what I’m asking- I need to know you’ll stay still.”

She felt fine until Stiles started to put actual pressure on her hips to keep her in place, putting a halt to her adjusting. Now that she was being held down by two people, she felt completely trapped. Just knowing she shouldn’t move made her feel like she had to. Her chest tightened and her breathing shallowed. Her fingernails started to dig into the palm of her hand in an effort to keep herself grounded.

“Hey,” Stiles said sternly, “Don’t start that now.”

She looked up at the boy like she was crazy. “Once you learn how to control a fucking anxiety disorder, you let me know!”

Scott gently pulled her fingers loose so that she wasn’t hurting herself then squeezed her hand to pull her attention back to him. “It will only take me a couple minutes if you stay still.”

“Okay,” Ray whispered.

She closed her eyes and braced for impact. Once the needle punctured her skin, her hand flew up to grab Stiles’s forearm. She needed something to grab onto, but she also needed to know he wasn’t going to move. His hold was already starting to lighten.

“Don’t let go,” Ray told him.

“I-I won’t,” Stiles mumbled back.

She opened her eyes to glare up at him. “You better not fucking pass out, Stilinski.”

Scott chuckled at that and added, “Yeah dude, I’m not going to stay and play doctor for your concussion. Stay on two feet.”

Ray flinched and tried to sit up, but Isaac didn’t let her move even a millimeter. “Ouch-mother fuc-“

“Stay still,” Scott told her.

“Oh, god,” Stiles whined. “Jesus fucking Christ.” The color in his cheeks drained like he was going to be sick.

“Stiles,” Ray squeezed his arm again. “Stiles, look at me.”

Scott mumbled an apology as a particularly rough stitch made Ray jolt slightly. Stiles seemed to grasp reality long enough to keep her down before weakening his hold again. His fingers still dig into her hips, but it was more of a way to keep himself from falling over rather than holding her in place. The stitching was going on right by his right hand. Seeing the needle his her skin made him feel dizzy.

When Scott finally finished up the stitching, he smiled down at Ray. “You took that like a champ!”

Ray smiled, ignoring Stiles’s comment of, “Don’t encourage her.”

“Can I open my eyes now?” Isaac asked as he took his hands off her.

“No,” Stiles, Scott, and Ray all said in unison.

Scott and Isaac left to help with the search for Boyd and Derek’s sister Cora, leaving Ray to put her own bandaid over the stitches. Thankfully, Stiles remained helpful after the other boys left, despite his affinity to blood. Ray held the bandage in place while Stiles taped around the edges. It had been a while since she had seen him so angry he was silent, and even longer since she was the one to make him react like that.

Still, if she hadn’t been there to stun Boyd and Cora, they could have done a lot more damage. Scott may not have walked out alive.

“I’d do it again,” Ray said through her teeth. The stabbing pain in her side as she sat up made her squeeze her eyes shut for a moment. Stiles put away the medical supplies in that time then left and came back with paper towels to wipe up the leftover hydrogen peroxide from the table.

“Did you hear me?” Ray asked.

“Yeah Ray!” He burst out, “Heard you loud and clear! You’d do something stupid all over again! That’s just great!”

She winced as she jumped down from the table. Stiles’s arm shot out to steady her, but she shoved it away.

“Scott probably would’ve died if I wasn’t there-“

Stiles slammed his fist on the table and started yelling, “You literally walked into a den of Alpha werewolves that want us all dead! You are so fucking lucky you made it out of there.” Ray stumbled back away from him until she was pressed against a counter. Stiles was inching closer to her as he continued his rant, trying to make his point, “Do you really think you would have stood a chance if they had been there to fight you guys? I can’t-I can’t protect you against them!” Ray worried Stiles was able to hear her heartbeat because of how hard it was pumping. At some point, she had stopped listening to his yelling and just started staring at his lips.

Still, he went on, “That was so fucking stupid of you to-“

Ray smashed her lips against his to muffle his voice. Her hands were on the back of his neck to pull him down to her. He kept his hands on the counter space behind her which only made her more desperate.

His teeth took her bottom lip between them and tugged lightly. When he released he whispered, “So fucking stupid.”

The hair at his neck was almost long enough for her to tug. She wondered how long it would take to grow out to be longer than the width of her fingers. A month maybe? How much did hair grow in a month? Ray would have to look that up.

The boy’s hand trailed lightly up her side, ghosting over the bandage. He broke from the kiss to tuck his head in her neck, hiding his tears.

“Just-don’t do anything like that again, Ray, please.”

The cold tears dripping onto her neck and collarbone made her own form and quickly fall. She wrapped her arms around the boy and sniffled in an attempt to stop the crying. It’s not like she could tell him she wouldn’t do something like that again. She didn’t know what Beacon Hills had in store for their future. If it planned on putting her friends in more dangerous situations, then of course she was going to join in and help the fight.

“Ray,” Stiles repeated as he lifted his head to look at her, “Say you won’t.”

She cupped her hands around the boy’s face and said, “I’d never lie to you.”

A sharp breath of air came from the boy’s flared nose. His sadness was quickly shelved so that his anger could take over again.

“You wouldn’t seriously do it again?”

Ray’s phone went off on the counter across the room. Her hands dropped from his face as she asked, “Can you answer it for me?”

Before answering the phone, the boy told her, “Don’t think we’re done with this, cuz we are not.”

As Stiles spoke on the phone with Lydia, Ray slipped away from him to find her shirt. She blushed when she noticed the camera in the corner of the room, pointing exactly in the direction they just had their make-out session in.

Stiles was right, Ray was really stupid, especially for not noticing the camera before kissing her secret lover.

It hurt to pull herself into the passenger seat of the jeep. She hoped her stitches would heal quick, after all, cross country was starting Monday. She has to be well enough to make it through that and cheer after school.

Once Stiles parked at the pool, he jumped out of the jeep at lightning speed and ran around to Ray’s side. She flinched at how fast he opened her door. Her seatbelt wasn’t even off yet by the time he was offering out a hand to help her down.

“It’s a few stitches, Stiles, I didn’t lose a leg.”

“It’s fourteen stitches, Ray, and I saw the face you made pulling yourself in,” Stiles told her. He reached over her to unbuckle the seatbelt.

“Now that’s just unnecessary. I’m not a child,” Ray grumbled, still, she accepted the boy’s help out of the jeep. He steadied her by placing his hand on her good hip.

“By the way,” Stiles said as he closed the passenger side door, “We still need to finish our talk after this.”

Ray dramatically rolled her eyes at Stiles’s back. By talk he meant argument, and by argument, he really meant he was going to tell her not to do dangerous shit and Ray was going to say it was out of her hands. That conversation at the clinic was going nowhere fast. Continuing it would only cause problems.

After the initial shock of it blew over, Stiles got Scott on the phone to tell him what was going on. Lydia and Ray were slowing making their way further and further from the body and all the blood draining into the pool. Lydia tugged her green coat tighter around her body. She didn’t want to think about it anymore, so she changed the subject.

“Well, thank god you're okay!” Lydia said as she lightly wrapped her arms around her friend. “Allison texted me what happened. Did Scott really stitch you up?”

Ray swallowed thickly. From this far away in the moonlight, all she could make out was a slumped figure in the lifeguard chair. Even though it was her idea to move further from it all, she couldn’t take her eyes off the horror.l even as she spoke, “Uh yeah. Got a few stitches and now I’m good.”

“Fourteen!” Stiles yelled over to the two girls. He said something hushed into the phone then called out again, “Don’t let her lie to you, Lydia. She got fourteen stitches.”

Lydia blinked a couple of times then looked to Ray and said, “Yeah, I’m telling Coach you are out of practice for three weeks.”

“One week,” Ray bargained.

“Two weeks.”

“The first game is in two weeks. At least let me come learn the cheers. I won’t do any running or burpees.”

“How about this, in a week I’ll check your stitches, and if I don’t feel like throwing up. . I’ll consider letting you practice.”

That seemed fair enough. Ray hoped her stitches would heal fast. She’s had to look up how to take care of stitches. .

The two girls watched as Stiles stepped closer to the body to examine it. Lydia grimaced and said, “Well, I’m definitely going to be calling my therapist. . Do you think this was Boyd and- What was the other girl’s name?”

“Cora, Derek’s sister. . . I don’t know. I thought the boys were tracking them on the other side of town.”

Stiles joined them, shaking his head like he was trying to make sense of it all. “It wasn’t them. This was-this was clean.”

Later on, Stiles and Ray were watching Lydia get in her car. The police had offered her an escort home since the person who killed the lifeguard was still on the loose. The redhead was distraught, but still less shaken about it all than Ray expected her to be. Lydia must have been getting used to the crazy things that had gone on in Beacon Hills. After dating a murdering lizard creature, there wasn’t much that could surprise her.

And while they were both very worried about their friend’s well being after finding a dead body, there was something else pressing on their minds. How the hell did Lydia find the body? What was she doing at the public pools at night?

This night was already feeling overwhelming, but going one more place before having that talk didn’t seem so back. Stiles played with his car keys a moment until Lydia started to drive off. He turned to Ray and said, “We should probably-“

“Make sure she gets home safe and find out what the hell she was doing here to begin with?” Ray finished.

Stiles pointed finger guns at the girl. “You read my mind.”

“You didn't have to follow me home,” Lydia said as she opened her bedroom door.

Ray was right on Lydia’s heels, and Stiles was close behind Ray, so close he kept bumping into her every time Ray stopped walking or slowing down for even a second. Lydia put her purse on her fancy, antique table by her door then sat on the edge of her bed. Her friend hesitated to sit next to her, causing the boy behind her to get stuck in the doorway.

“We weren’t just gonna ditch you after all of that,” Ray said.

“Yeah!” Stiles agreed. He leaned against the doorframe in an attempt to look casual, but Lydia saw right through the boy’s nervous act. “We just wanted to make sure you got in okay.”

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. “I had a police escort.”

“I know the inner workings of that force, all right? They're not nearly as reliable as people think.”

“Well, you also didn't have to follow me into my room.”

“Well, uh-,” the boy’s cheeks turned red. He was hoping Ray would swoop in and save him. She looked over her shoulder at him and offered him a smile, but not a comforting one. This one was mischievous. She was enjoying his fumbling. “Yeah, I don't have an answer for that. . .I can leave!”

Ray rolled her eyes then sat next to Lydia on the bed. She put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “What you found was. . . It was a lot. And when the alpha attacked Jackson and me at the video store, you were freaked out for like a week. So if you want to talk, I’m here to listen.” She glanced at Stiles in the doorway. “And we can totally kick Stiles out and just have girl time.”

“Hey!”

“You offered to leave first!” Ray said in her defense.

“I- well yeah, but I was hoping. . . Okay! Fine. Girl time is important. Totally. Yeah- I’ll go.” He pointed time the hallway behind himself before turning on his heel.

Lydia sighed and said, “Are you really gonna go without asking me the question that you've been dying to ask me?”

Stiles pivoted right back to face them again without hesitating, “Well, I'm not- I haven't been dying to ask anything. I- no questions here for Stiles. Nothing.”

“I can see it on your face,” Lydia deadpanned.

Stiles was still trying to deny it, “Maybe my face just has, like, a naturally interrogatory ex-expression.” He was silently begging Ray to step in, but she was too busy admiring the blush on his cheeks from being put on the spot.

“Well, your interrogatory expression is getting on my nerves. The answer is, I have no clue how I ended up finding that body. I didn't even know where I was until I got out of the car.”

Ray tilted her head and asked, “So you drove there. . Subconsciously?”

“I guess. I didn’t know what I was doing. One minute I’m on my way to the store for Asprin and the next I’m stepping out of my car at the pool.”

“Another fugue state?” Ray asked.

“No,” Lydia whispered she shook her head then spoke up, sounding more confident, “No, because I remember driving, I just don’t know how I ended up there and not the store.”

Stiles looked like he was about to pass out as he spoke, “The last time something like this happened-“

“I know,” Lydia stopped him, letting him know she was thinking the same thing, “Derek's Uncle.”

For a fleeting second, Stiles’s lip curled up in disgust. If Ray hadn’t been studying his face so intensely, she would have missed it like Lydia did. Yeah, everyone hated Peter, as they should. It wasn’t unprovoked for Stiles to have a reaction like that, but the way he caught himself and tried to seem neutral seemed. . Odd. Had something else happened? Did Peter say something when they had left Stiles with him at the loft?

“Okay,” Lydia said tiredly, “Now why do you look like you have something you want to ask, Ray?”

“I-“ her eyes flickered from Stiles to Lydia as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t have. “I’m good.”

“Really? Cause there seems to be a little bit of tension in this general area,” Lydia said, gesturing from Stiles to Ray.

“No! No tension.” Ray said quickly at the same Stiles said, “What? Ah-ha nope.”

“Hmm,” Lydia said, rolling her eyes, “Sure.”

Now there definitely was tension, an awkward one that felt suffocating. Stiles looked down at his shoes and shoved his hands in his pockets. Ray twirled a curl that had escaped her ponytail around her finger and looked around the room as if she was studying what Lydia had on her walls. Lydia stood up to sit at her vanity. She played with her hair in the mirror for a moment until she realized the other two really weren’t going to say anything.

“Seriously, you two, thank you for making sure I got home safe, but you don’t have to stay all night. I’m safe now.”

Stiles cleared his throat. “No yeah- we should-“

“Can I stay a bit?” Ray asked softly.

Lydia’s eyes lit up, “We could watch The Notebook.”

Ray winced. “Or. . 13 Going On 30?”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Stiles said. “Goodnight, ladies”

Ray and Lydia were deep in conversation by the time the movie ended. The credits rolled, and Lydia hadn’t gotten up to take the DVD out. Instead, it went back to the title screen the automatically started playing again. That’s when Ray asked to be taken home. She could sit through The Notebook once for Lydia’s sake, but twice? That’s pushing it.

It was well past midnight, and Ray wasn’t able to sleep. Her body was exhausted from practice, the fight, and being up half the night before researching with the boys. Still, her mind was wide awake. Scott hadn’t updated her with texts in a while to say how the situation with Boyd and Cora was going. The last Ray heard was Chris Argent agreed to help trap them until morning. Scott and Isaac were most likely safe if Chris was helping. It wasn’t them she was staring at the ceiling while worrying about.

Stiles hadn’t messaged her back.

After he left her at Lydia’s, he sent her a text saying he was going to meet up with Melissa at the hospital to see the bodies. Throughout the night, Ray had sent him a few texts asking for an update just to see if he was okay. There was nothing until well past midnight, and even then, all she got was two words.

_Heather’s dead_

Ray didn’t know how to respond to a message like that. At first, she didn’t think she even read it right. Heather’s dead what? Dead dog? Dead plant? But no, Heather is dead. That just didn’t feel real. Yeah, she was a little intoxicated at her party, but not nearly enough to kill her. Just that morning, police were still looking for her, not her body. She was a missing person case, one they expected to turn up alive.

A million questions went through Ray’s head, but none of them felt right to ask over text. It wasn’t like Stiles to be so short with his words. Once he felt ready to talk about it, he’d probably explain a bit more and answer all the questions Ray had without her even needing to ask them. When would he feel ready to talk through? It took him a week to talk to Ray again after Allison’s mom and Matt died.

So instead of wasting time with texts Ray knew would go unanswered, she sent one he couldn’t ignore.

_Come over. Bring your pillow. I’ll go with you to tell Scott tomorrow._

Stiles was typing, and then not, and then typing again. Ray started at her screen, waiting for his response so that she could let out the breath she was holding.

_We’ll talk another night. I’m tired._

And just like that, he was slipping away again. He was going to lock himself away and not talk with anyone. Last time his excuse was that he didn’t know how to talk to her after they kissed. They were past that awkward phase, they were closer than that. Ray and Stiles had plenty of intimate late-night talks over those last couple months of Sophomore year. They shared things Ray couldn’t imagine herself sharing with anyone else, even Scott. So why push her away now?

Ray chewed on her lip then decided to send another text, _Want me to come to you?_

 _NO !_ Was his speedy response.

Her hear dropped to her stomach. She fell onto her bed and didn’t even want to read the influx of other texts from him that followed. It hurt that he didn’t want to see her. She just wanted to sit with him and say it would all be alright. What was so bad about that?

Eventually, she forced herself to look at the texts that he kept sending.

_It’s not safe_

_Ray, SWEAR to me you won’t leave your house !!_

_Lock your window, okay??_

_Ray! Are you even reading these?!_

_Oh my god_

_Please tell me you are alive_

She wrote him back to say, _Don’t worry. I’m staying here. I can tell when I’m not wanted._

Then her phone rang. Guilt set in, and Ray answered, immediately saying, “Look, I’m sorry for acting like this it’s just- you’re pushing me away again and I thought we were past this.”

“We are!” Stiles said, “It’s not that I don’t want to see you, it’s that-“

“You want to be alone?” Ray guessed, sounding hurt.

“No! Not at all. Ray, listen, the bodies at the hospital that Melissa showed me? One of them was Heather, and they had something in common, well, a lot in common. They were killed the exact same way, something called a threefold death. And, this is the real horrifying part, they were both virgins, and so is the other girl that’s missing from the woods-“

“Who else is missing?” Ray interjected.

“Oh! Right, okay so these two girls were in the woods and one of them was brought back to the hospital. I talked to her. Her girlfriend that’s missing was planning on losing her virginity tonight. That’s three virgins! Three human sacrifices!”

“Whoa,” Ray said, “Okay, that’s a bit of a jump.”

“I’ve been researching the threefold death for the past like hour! There is someone out there killing virgins as sacrifices, so you have to stay home!” There was a long silence before Stiles added, “Ray. . .?”

“I’m sorry, I’m still stuck on human sacrifices.”

“Our best friend is a werewolf, you’re a mermaid with the power to harness lightning, Lydia is obviously some sort of psychic-“

“Psychic?!” Ray fake laughed. “Okay, Stiles, I know I told you that you don’t have to take your medicine all the time, but maybe tonight-“

“You don’t believe me.” His voice cracked.

“I do! Well, I do about the killings, that they weren’t done by Boyd and Cora, but Lydia being psychic and virgin sacrifices? It just feels like it came out of left field. How do you know they are being sacrificed and not just killed by some- some serial killer! You know, there’s been quite a few serial killers in Northern California. .”

Stiles let out an exasperated sigh. Ray could picture him rolling his eyes before he said, “Okay, so say they aren’t sacrificed, still, there’s a killer going after virgins.”

Ray hummed, admitting he was right about that. That feeling like someone was watching her set in. She got out of bed to make sure her window was locked as she said, “Alright, Stilinski. You have made your point and officially freaked me out. Thank you for ruining all chances of me falling asleep tonight.”

“You and me both. My dad’s at the station trying to figure out these killings, so I’m just sitting here. . . with a bat. . . Hoping the killer will pity me.”

She chuckled softly as she pictured it. “That bat you stole from the McCalls?”

“Oh come on! Like they even need it! Your mom and Mel haven’t played in that softball league for years!”

“Yeah, my mom really met Marcus through that then just gave up on it, huh?” She checked the alarm clock on her nightstand then asked, “Well, since we’re already gonna be up. . Wanna lose to me in Halo?”

“Pft, please, you know I’ll win every round if we play that game. But yeah! I’ll meet you online in a few, just gotta set it up.”

“If you are online in five, I’ll assume the killer got you. . . Can I have the jeep?”

Stiles laughed. “It’s being buried with me.”

“That’s gonna be an expensive casket.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit off-topic, but.... I binge-watched Julie and the Phantoms this week. 100% recommend! The show is so cute, and Julie and her family are adorable. I love them. The dad? Best TV dad, no, best dad ever. Parent of the year. The way he sits down and says, "I'm listening," to his child? Parents... take notes.
> 
> My work schedule is slightly more consistent? so that should help next week's update not be late! (As long as I don't spiral and write for JatP which... I've already started doing so .....) But don't worry about this story! I have the season 4 premiere already written, and I'm in love with the dynamics of the characters at that point, so I will keep going!
> 
> Thank you for being patient with me! And thanks for reading! and binge-watch Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix! That's YOUR assignment to have done by next week's update.


	28. A Promise

Ray’s body felt stiff in the chilly morning air. It was as if autumn was just around the corner. . . One of the best times of the year. It meant cozy sweaters, Halloween, Stiles’s birthday. . . They always got up to a bit of mischief on his birthday. This year she looked forward to the shenanigans. A bit of normalcy in these crazy times. But Ray worried they might not even be in a good enough place to celebrate by the time his birthday came around.

Ever since the full moon at the bank, things between the two of them had been. . . rocky, to say the least. They had finally had that talk Stiles insisted on having. Stiles asked Ray to not throw herself in harm's way. Ray said she would do whatever she needed to save her friends. The conversation went in circles for what felt like hours until Stiles had given up and just left out her bedroom window. She would have called out to him if she didn’t fear her mother hearing and finding out there was a boy in her room. Needless to say, their talk didn’t go well. And not only that, but Ray found herself confused about how to act toward Stiles after finding out who the serial killer was after.

Virgins.

Ray happened to be a virgin, and so was Stiles. And they happened to be dating. The solution to their problem was staring them right in the face, but neither teen was confident enough to make the first move. Or, maybe Stiles didn’t even want to be with her after their disagreement.

And the bank wasn’t even their only disagreement.

“You shouldn’t be doing this,” Stiles said, wringing his hands together nervously. The tip of his nose was red from the cold.

Cute, Ray thought, if only she could kiss him and tell him that. Sadly, their best friend and Isaac were jogging over to them to chat, and both boys were known to have excellent hearing. In fact, Scott had heard what Stiles told her and was quick to defend her, “I took her stitches out last night. She’s fine as long as she takes it easy.”

“See, Stilinski? Scotty says I’m fine.” Ray grinned proudly ear to ear. She was so excited to start cross country with the boys. It was an excuse to hang out that didn’t involve the supernatural. She and Lydia always had to much fun at cheer together. Ray hoped cross country would be the same. Just teens being teens.

“Oh, so we just trust every word Scott says?”

“Yes,” Ray and Isaac said in unison.

“Unbelievable!” Stiles threw up his hands.

Ray elbowed the blonde boy and waggled her eyebrows. “So?”

“So what?” Isaac asked her.

“Brenda.”

“Oh! Yeah!” The boy smirked. “She says she wants to _not commit_ to me again Friday night, so I think things went well.”

“She told me she wants to not commit to you again, and again, and again,” Ray teased.

Isaac blushed, looking bashful, “Well, I’m not going to argue with that.”

“Anyway!” Stiles said in a voice that was way too cheery for how early the practice was. He swung his arm around Ray’s shoulders. “So we have that Calc test Friday, and I was thinking-“

“You know I hate when you do that,” Ray quipped.

“-studying at my place tomorrow night?”

It had been a while since Stiles asked Ray to hang out solo. Stiles had been acting like he was so busy researching everything he could about the murders. Ray was too scared to ask him if he wanted to do anything ever since he walked out after their argument a couple weeks back. They had talked outside of school, but it had mostly been through Skype with Scott.

“If you promise to study and not make me look up ancient rituals involving the threefold death for five hours, then yeah, I’m down.”

Stiles winced. “There might just be a smidge bit of researching. I’ve been looking up some Celtic symbols, like the bank logo and triskeles, their both used by Druids! And-“

“No researching.” Ray tried to convey the double meaning in her tone. She was practically screaming in her head for Stiles to read between the lines. She didn’t want to study or research at his place, she wanted to. . . do things she couldn’t mention while Isaac and Scott were around.

“Twenty minutes of researching?”

Ray brushed off his arm and said, “Guess you’ll be studying alone because I told you I’m done trying to figure that out. Detective work is your special interest, not mine. Besides, no one has died in almost two weeks. So I’m cool with letting the cops just do their job and figure it out.”

“But- I’ve gotta help my dad. He doesn’t have the full picture! You know that!”

Ray gave Stiles a mischievous smile and said, “Alright, Stilinski, let’s make a deal. You beat me to the end of the trail, and I’ll research with you all night long.”

The boy swallowed thickly after she winked at him. “But aren’t you supposed to be taking it easy?”

“Beating you will be easy.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Okay, so what happens if you win?”

“We do other things all night long?” She smirked as a blush formed on the boy’s cheeks. With her subtle undertones no longer so subtle, she earned a disgusted look from Isaac.

The blonde couldn’t help himself from commenting, “Can you please refrain from talking about doing things all night long with Stilinski in front of me? That mental image makes me physically ill.”

Before Stiles could fumble out some sarcastic reply, Coach Finstock blew his whistle to grab everyone’s attention. Ray started stretching out her legs and bent forward. Stiles sidestepped and tripped over a stick. He looked around to see if anyone saw him, most of the group had. Danny gave him a look of disapproval.

“What did you-uh, what did you have in mind, Ray?” Stiles asked, clearing his throat, trying to brush it off like it never happened. The "all night long" phrase Ray had used reminded him of something Danny had said to Stiles that morning in the locker room. For just being step-siblings, Ray and Danny sure do act a lot alike.

“Well-,” Ray stood up straight then started stretching out her arms. “My stitches are out, so we could do anything.”

“Isaac!” Scott said desperately as the Coach blew his whistle to send off the team. The blonde boy charged forward full speed, going after the twins.

“Pace yourselves!” Coach yelled at the three boys.

“Catch me if you can,” Ray said before darting off. Stiles lingered back a moment, thinking about what she had meant by anything and why that anything required having her stitches out.

At first there was a large group of runners keeping pace with each other. Only Isaac, Scott, and the twins ran ahead at an alarming pace. After a while the group started to split. Some fit lacrosse boys kept a quick pace in hopes of keeping up with the boys that ran ahead. Danny was among those, though he struggled to keep up. He knew about Scott and Isaac from Ray, but the twins had surprised him. If they were able to outrun Scott and Isaac, that must mean they were something too. Danny looked over his shoulder at his stepsister to see if she had a look of worry or uncertainty, something to give away that what he was thinking was true.

The girl’s face didn’t give away much since her focus was solely on the dorky boy struggling to keep pace behind her. She kept looking over her shoulder at him and smirking then sprinting for a few seconds to create distance between them, teasing him. The poor boy would look like he was about to pass out every time he would have to speed up to catch up with her.

Stiles was actually the starting force of Danny’s suspicions that morning. How could Danny not be reading between the lines after Stiles was freaking out in the locker room, chatting not-so-secretly with Scott about virgin sacrifices and how he feared for his own life. Something sinister was going on in Beacon Hills again, and just like last time, Ray was leaving Danny in the dark about things.

But Danny was smart, and he was determined to figure things out for himself. Ray couldn’t keep him away from being in the know this time. That’s why he had let the boys know that he could hear them, chiming in with that comedic line after Stiles’s little rant.

_“Missing and presumed dead because he's probably a virgin, Scott. And you know who else is a virgin? Me. I'm a virgin, okay? And you know what that means? It means that my lack of sexual experience is now literally a threat to my life. Okay, I need to have sex, like, right now. Someone needs to have sex with me, like, today. Like, someone needs to sex me right now!” Stiles haphazardly closed his locker, revealing Danny standing right behind him._

_“Alright, I'll do it.”_

_Stiles screamed in terror, not knowing someone was behind him and listening in that whole time even though he was being anything but quiet. He opened and closed his mouth in shock. "What?”_

_“Come to my place at 9:00. Plan to stay the night. I like to cuddle,” Danny joked._

_“Oh. That was so sweet. Are you kidding?”_

_Danny wondered what the hell his sister saw in this gullible idiot, “Yes, I'm kidding. And keep it down, someone who’s not in the know about the supernatural happenings of this god awful town might hear you yelling about how you’re going to be the next virgin sacrifice in the locker room.”_

_“Okay, you know, you don't toy with a guy's emotions like that, Danny. It's not attractive, alright?”_

_“Why don’t you call up my sister? I’m sure she’d love to toy with your emotions all night long.” Danny smirked at the blush on Stiles’s cheeks then left the locker room._

_“Do-do you think Ray would really-,” Stiles stopped himself and tried to smooth down his hair. He turned to Scott. “How do i look? Sexable? Like I could have sex? Like she’d have sex with me?”_

_Scott laughed and punched Stiles in the shoulder, “Dude, who wouldn’t?”_

It was tempting for Danny to just ask his sister what was going on, but he was afraid she’d dance around the question and lie to him again like she had all those months ago at Lydia’s birthday party. Ray was like that a lot lately. Danny felt like he could tell her anything and she wouldn’t judge him, but she keeps all of her thoughts to herself, and not just her thoughts about the supernatural. The way she smiled and jogged circles around the Stilinski boy made it painfully obvious she had feelings for him, something she always denied whenever Danny brought it up.

No matter how kind-hearted someone is, it’s hard to trust when they don’t trust you. Danny gritted his teeth and picked up his pace, not wanting to witness the blatant flirting his sister was doing with someone she claimed as just a friend.

A shrill shriek causes the team to slow their pace to a stop. Ray and Stiles came to a stop at Danny’s side. Everyone felt weak in the knees.

There was a dead body strapped to a tree trunk. Dark red blood drenched the colorless skin of the boy’s neck. Danny immediately turned around to block his view of the sight. It was Kyle, a boy from his grade, and while he and Danny were never the closest, it was still a shock to see someone you went to school with for ten years to be dead.

Could this be related to the sacrifices Stiles talked about in the locker room? Danny looked to Ray, ready to give in and just ask her for answers. What he got instead was a hug from the girl and her tears soaking his shoulder.

Scott and Isaac came out of the woods with the twins. It was obvious they had diverted from the trail and came running at the sound of the scream. The four boys stared at the body in shock before Scott looked around and caught sight of his neighbors in tears. He quickly got to them to place a hand on Ray’s shoulder.

She turned from Danny to hug Scott next, mumbling, “When will it stop?”

“It's him, isn't it?” Isaac asked, “The one who went missing at the clinic.”

Scott nodded. That wasn’t enough for Danny.

“Is one of you going to tell me what the hell is going on, or do I have to figure it all out alone again like last time?”

Scott looked down at the girl in his arms for approval before explaining, “This is the fourth killing. They all have a pattern. We think it could be a serial killer. . Or-“

“Sacrifices,” Stiles added, sounding desperate, terrified, and enthusiastic all at once.

“We don’t know that yet,” Scott said honestly. “We don’t know anything, actually, just that the first three, they were all-“

“Virgins,” Stiles interrupted again, “Virgin sacrifices.”

“Would you give up on that whole virgin sacrifice thing? It’s seriously the craziest theory that’s ever come out of your mouth,” Isaac said.

Stiles threw his hands up, “Oh! I’m sorry, can you think of something better? Actually, can you think in complete sentences at all, or is your brain just, ‘Twins bad, must chase’?”

“And am I wrong? They almost killed me! They are bad.”

“They almost what?” Danny asked. His gaze trailed over to the twins, specifically Ethan who he had exchanged numbers with recently.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders and said, “Maybe next practice we could bring a tennis ball to distract you with so that you don’t go chasing after Alphas.”

“Oh,” Isaac chuckled darkly, “I’m serious going to kick your fucking a-“

“Stop!” Ray urged as she put a hand on the blonde’s chest, stopping him from getting any closer to Stiles. Danny watched as Stiles’s eyes narrowed, focused on Ray’s hand pressing again the other boy.

Oh. Oh there is definitely a lot going on that Ray has been keeping from Danny. Never once had Danny every kept a boy secret from Ray, so why the hell was Ray touching some boy’s chest so casually for? Danny wasn’t going to stay in the dark any longer.

“And what the hell is this?” Danny gestured to his sister and the blonde she still had her hand on even though he had calmed down now.

Her hand quickly felt to her side and she stepped back. “What’s what?

Danny rolled his eyes. There was a dead body twenty feet away and she was still trying to keep things from him, still lying.

The Sheriff and his deputies were on the scene now. Noah Stilinski was yelling and pushing through the crowd of cross country students to get to the body, “Hey, get out of the way. Get back. Get this area cordoned off before they trample every piece of evidence.”

Somehow, despite those orders, Stiles thought it was a good idea to run up to his dad and start talking to him. “Dad, just come here. Look, look. Look at it. It's the same as the others, you see?”

Meanwhile Danny was dragging Ray further from the body and whispering, “You kept serial murders from me, alpha twins, and now you’re lying about Isaac, what’s next, huh? Did you crash your mom’s car? Failing out of high school? Pregnant?”

“What? Danny! No! You’re totally overreacting!”

“Am I? Because you’ve kept shit from me before! A lot of shit! Like for instance, my best friend being a lizard creature who murders murderers. Remember that? Or and uh, that you’re a mermaid, and our neighbor is a werewolf, and whatever those visions were at Lydia’s party.”

Ray felt her breath get caught in her throat. There was nothing she could say. Danny was right. She was keeping things from him again, and he had the right to be mad. She decided it was best to just say the truth, “You’re right about one thing. I am seeing someone, it’s just not Isaac. I swear, we’re just friends. But me and this other guy. . . We’re keeping it secret so that people don’t get hurt.”

Danny followed Ray’s gaze back to the other three boys. Isaac and Stiles were arguing about whether it was human sacrifices or the twins again. Scott was playing mediator. The image of Ray letting go of Danny to be wrapped in Scott’s arms popped into Danny’s head. His eyes went wide.

“Scott?”

“W-what?”

“It’s Scott, and you guys don’t want to hurt Stiles, huh?”

That was the most absurd thing Ray had ever heard. “What the hell?”

“Oh my god, this makes so much sense! Why you would keep this from me, cuz he’s our neighbor, you know? If you mom ever found out, god she’d probably implode knowing we lived next door to your boyfriend.”

“My-my what? No! Danny-“

“Ray-,” he put a comforting hand on her shoulder, though, it felt more constricting than comforting, “-it’s okay. Scott’s a good kid. This won’t change how I see him. Honestly, I’m just a little surprised. I mean, the whole school seems to think you and Stilinski are gonna get married one day. But Scott? That’s true husband material.” Danny looked back at Scott and whistled. “Yeah, good choice. The right choice.”

He patted her on the back then headed back up the trail. Her feet felt stuck in place while her mind raced, thinking of how Danny could have possibly come to that terrifying conclusion. The mere idea of dating her best friend made her uncomfortable. Scott was like a brother to her. That would have been like dating Danny. Weird. Not just weird, gross.

It was also frustrating that she couldn’t just be honest. Her and Stiles had decided they wanted Scott to know first, but that was months ago. Keeping this secret was starting to wear on Ray. It was like she was hiding half of her life from the world. Danny would probably keep the secret if Ray confided in him, but would Stiles be okay with Ray telling someone?

But now didn’t seem like the time to ask, not just after what happened to Kyle. Stiles was busy arguing with Isaac anyway. Ray was afraid if she asked him now, he wouldn’t think it through because of how high emotions had been lately.

Even with tension high between the boys, Ray found herself wandering to Stiles side, standing way to close to consider it friendly. Somehow, being near him brought her comfort from the sick feeling in her stomach. Seeing their classmate like that would probably haunt her for nights to come. All she wanted to do was sit on his couch and watch baseball, but she knew they shouldn’t skip school.

“-Am I the only one recognizing the lack of "werewolfitude" in these murders?” Stiles asked, and he probably would have kept going on with his sarcastic rant if not for the hand subtly brushing against his. He looked down at his hand and was surprised to see Ray’s pinky reaching to lock with his. What was she thinking doing this in front of Scott and Isaac? Now was hardly the time to out themselves, not while there was a dead body of their classmate just a hundred yards away.

Isaac scoffed and said, “Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?” They being the Alpha twins, the boys that had Isaac on edge all morning. He was so focused on them that he hadn’t picked up on Stiles and Ray’s erratic heartbeats.

The other werewolf had, though. Scott caught sight of the pink tips of Stiles’s ears. Ray was watching Isaac talk and looking around at the forest around them, seeming like she was only half-listening, her thoughts clearly somewhere else. What could have been more important than the dead bodies they’ve found?

Stiles cleared his throat and put his hands on his hips. “Well, no, but I still don't think it's them. Scott?”

“How 'bout you?” Isaac added.

Poor Scott looked like his thoughts were going a mile a minute. “I don't know yet.”

“You don't know yet?” Stiles repeated in a judging tone.

“Well, Isaac’s got a point. Seriously, dude, human sacrifices?”

“Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glow sticks, okay? Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now, it would just magically heal, and if you didn’t, Ray could just like- pour water and heal you, and her eyes turn like freaking turquoise when she conjures lightning, but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?”

Scott sheepishly looked to Isaac, “That's a good point too.”

Isaac’s eyes narrowed. “I don't care. They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. I'm gonna kill them too.”

“That’s a little- hey, Isaac! Wait!” Ray took off after him in hopes of talking him down before he got to the locker room.

It wasn’t easy convincing Isaac to play to safe. Even after he agreed he wouldn’t confront the twins, Ray still worried he might break and do something irrational. By third period, Ray had worried herself sick hoping that Isaac was safe all through second period. When she sat next to him in Physics, he seemed almost back to his normal self. As time went on, all that work Ray did to calm him down that morning slowly went down the drain.

By the middle of lecture, Isaac started to look like he was going to snap his jaw with how tightly he was gritting his teeth. Ray stopped doodling on her notebook to nudge him and ask if he was feeling alright. He didn’t answer, instead just glaring at the door like it was the source to all his problems. This worried Ray, because usually if Isaac wasn’t okay, he would at least lie and say he was. It wasn’t like him to go silent and admit something was off. Really off.

She looked over her shoulder to Scott then nodded her head toward the blonde, her wordless way of saying to check-in. Scott reached forward to tap Isaac’s shoulder.

“Isaac? You need a break outside?” Scott whispered.

Stiles snickered under his breath, probably thinking of a “take the dog to go potty outside” joke. Ray was thankful he chose not to say it. Isaac was already on edge. One more witty remark from Stiles today would probably lead to the blonde snapping.

Their teacher, Mr. Harris, was ending that section of the notes and moving onto the next. Ray looked down at her paper and viciously tried to write down everything about inertia before he erased it. She didn’t get down much before the chalkboard was wiped clean and their teacher was into something completely new.

“Since inertia is a subject of which you all know plenty, why don't we start with momentum?” Mr. Harris said as he wrote down the word, underlining it for effect.

Ray looked over at Isaac’s notes to ask if she could copy was she missed while she was daydreaming. His paper was blank. She looked back to Scott, a pale worry washed over her face. When Isaac got emotional, really emotional, he struggled with his shift. Sometimes things still triggered him. The middle of chemistry was not a place for one of those times.

It was obvious he was still obsessing over the twins. Ray didn’t think they were the answer to the sacrifices, but she did get why he was so hung up on them. They had almost killed him that night he found Boyd and Cora in the vault. It’s assumed they killed the mysterious woman who saved him. The twins definitely aren’t trust worthy, but slashing people’s throats and using garrotes? Stiles was right, that didn’t sound very werewolf-y.

Thankfully, Scott understood Ray’s silent plea and knew to continue checking in of Isaac. He leaned forward to whisper, “They're here for a reason. Give me a chance to figure it out before you do anything. Okay?” When the blonde didn’t reply to Scott’s comment, he added, “Isaac?” in hopes of getting a promise out of the boy.

Isaac gripped his pencil harder, causing his knuckles to go white. His nails started to grow. Ray put her hand on his wrist, causing him to look at her. His big blue eyes were cold. Ray now understood what people meant when they called eyes steely. It was a look that make the hairs on her arms stand up. A look that was daring her to test him so he would have an excuse to lash out.

Mr Harris called out, “Danny,-“ Thank god he didn’t call on Ray. She was completely lost on today’s subject and doubted she’d even be able to bullshit an answer. “What do we know about momentum?”

“It's the product of mass and velocity. The more massive something is, the faster it's going,” Danny smoothly responded. Maybe Ray could copy her stepbrother’s notes. . . and homework if she promised to clean his room or something.

Ray leaned over to whisper in Isaac’s ear, “Your nails.”

His glare softened as he looked down and retracted his nails. Her thumb swiped over the back of his hand before letting him go. The action seemed to calm him down a bit until something caused his eye to twitch. His jaw went hard like he was clenching his teeth together.

Before Ray could calm him down again, he was speaking up. “Mr. Harris, can I use the bathroom, please?”

As soon as the teacher nodded, Isaac bolted for the door. At looked back at Scott for an explanation. Her neighbor stood up from his stool so fast that it scraped against the floor and nearly fell over. Luckily, Stiles caught it before it made a giant crash.

“I have to go to the bathroom too,” Scott announced, causing some of the people in class to giggle.

“One at a time,” Mr. Harris said monotonously.

“But I really have to go. Like, medical emergency have to go.”

“Mr. McCall, if your bladder suddenly exploded and urine began to pour from every orifice, I would still respond, ‘one at a time.’”

Stiles made a disgusted face and muttered, “Oh, that’s-“

Mr Harris went on, “Is that enough hyperbole for you, or would you like me to come up with something more vivid?”

“No, no- that's pretty good,” Scott said as he sat back down.

Even with Isaac gone, Ray wasn’t able to turn her focus to the lesson. Someone kicked the back of her stool. She glared over her shoulder at Stiles, but he faked innocence and pointed at Scott with his pencil. Scott’s attention was on the door, clearly listening in on whatever Isaac was doing out there.

It wasn’t something Ray could fix, or at least that’s what she was repeating over and over in her head as she went back to doodling. The lesson seemed to go back to normal for a few seconds before the teacher suddenly raised his voice.

“Mr. Stilinski, if you throw that paper, I’ll give you lunch detention for a month.”

When Ray looked back, Stiles was crumbling a wad of paper in his hand guiltily. He winced and set the paper down on the desk. Harris stepped forward like he was going to come take it, but a crashing from the hallway made the teacher divert his attention. As Harris walked out into the hall, Stiles quickly slipped the paper in his pocket in hopes that the teacher would forget about it.

“What is this? What's going on?”

Most of the class followed the teacher out to see what all the commotion was. Some people stopped in the doorway, jamming it. Ray got stuck in the back and tried getting on her tiptoes to see over them, but she honestly had no clue what was going on.

Was Isaac okay? We’re the twins out there? Was Scott handling things?

A hand on her shoulder turned her around. Stiles was grinning at her devilishly. He took her hand and forced that wad of paper into it.

“Stiles, what’s-,” her voice cut out as she opened the note.

_you look so beautiful today_

“Just thought you should know,” Stiles said with a proud smirk. He went to leaned against a desk, but he underestimated how low it was and nearly slipped, causing his smooth moment to fall apart.

“Al-also I’ve uh, I noticed you haven’t written anything down, like, at all the whole class so maybe after your practice you can come over and copy down my notes. And then maybe we could like-get something to eat or you know- I don’t know.”

Some people had gone back to their seats now, feeling awkward listening to Mr. Harris yell at Isaac in the hallway. Ray couldn’t help but feel like everyone in the room was staring at her warm cheeks. She knew they had to be bright red from that stupid note.

“I thought you wanted to study tomorrow?” She asked.

“Yes! We can! Both I mean, study both nights. That is, if you want to see me twice in a row. I don’t know if you wanted to see other people- I mean, like hang out with other people- friends- other friends.”

“Actually tonight I was thinking instead of studying at your place we could-,” Ray’s voice trailed off as Scott walked back in the classroom. Her neighbor rushed straight to them, looking like the words were going to fall right out of his mouth if he didn’t let them out quick.

“Aiden beat up Ethan, and Isaac got blamed. Sounds like Mr. Harris is giving him lunch detention.” Scott explained. The three turned their heads to the closed classroom door and winced as their teacher raised his voice, loud enough to be hear through the walls without werewolf hearing.

“What were you thinking?!”

Scott mumbled, “We better take out seats before he comes back in here.”

“Talk later?” Ray asked Stiles.

As their luck would have it, later never really came. After fourth period, Ray, Scott, and Isaac were at Isaac’s locker in the hallway. Isaac wanted to do something to get back at the twins for getting him detention. Scott was trying to convince Isaac to let it go when one of the twins came down the hall and stopped at Lydia Martin’s locker to talk with her. Scott suddenly stopped talking to Isaac to listen in on what Aiden was telling their friend. Ray crossed her arms and openly glared at the alpha across the hall, though he didn’t seem to notice or care with all his focus on the pretty redhead in front of him.

“It’s not just me,” Isaac said. He nodded to Lydia across the hall. Aiden was leaning against the locker next to her’s. Ray didn’t need superhuman hearing to know what was happening.

The stupid, cocky look on the alpha’s face was all it took for Ray to take a step toward him and Lydia. Scott held out his arm, blocking Ray from doing something she’d regret. Her best friend didn’t look happy about the exchange either. His expression darkened and his jawline hardened.

“Looks like they’re getting to you too,” Isaac said to Scott. “And you-,” Isaac said as he nudged the girl. “Don’t even think about trying anything, you don’t heal like we do.”

“You aren’t the boss of me,” Ray said. “If I want to walk over there and steal my friend away from that conversation, I can.”

“He’s right,” Scott told Ray, “Let us handle this.”

Isaac and Scott walked off together. The girl didn’t follow, but she did yell out to them, “You know, this whole boys will be boys thing is starting to feel a little sexist!” Her two friends didn’t acknowledge her yelling. She grumbled to herself, “I can be a bro too. I can fight and get mad too.” Her eyes flickered to the alpha across the hall. Lydia had ditched him, so now his focus was solely on her. Ray’s eyes went wide. She hurried after Scott and Isaac. “Wait! Guys! Don’t leave me! Don’t-“

Her eyes caught sight of the senior Ashley Baker talking with none other than Stiles Stilinski. Scott and Isaac were getting away, but Ray couldn’t stop herself from wondering what the hell the popular blonde was doing talking to Stiles. Ray’s patience was dwindling as the day went on, and she didn’t really feel like running after Isaac and Scott at the moment. Still, there was a voice in the back of her head urging her to stop her friends from doing something they’d regret. Right as she was turning to chase after the boys, she heard a loud smack that had her head spinning back to Ashley and Stiles.

Ashley was guided away from him by a sheriff’s deputy. The poor girl looked like she had been crying which made Ray realize Ashley had been dating Kyle. Had Stiles already started questioning her about the murder? Just hours after the boy turned up dead in front of the entire cross country team?

Ray stormed toward Stiles, ready to chastise him, but the sheriff was already a step ahead of her.

“Have you completely lost your mind? I've got four murders, Stiles. You see those men in there? That's the FBI. They're pulling together a task force to help because it looks like we've got a full-blown serial killer on our hands. You get that?”

“Yes, Dad. I get that,” Stiles said regretfully. His eyes looked up to see Ray glaring at him from across the hall. Stiles figured she was waiting for his dad to finish up his lecture so that she could give him another one.

“Then what are you doing?” His dad questioned.

“I'm trying to find a pattern.”

“Why don’t you try focusing on school? I better not get any calls from your teacher about you missing class because you are out running around trying to figure this out. We talked about this, Stiles. No missing classes this year unless you are home feeling sick and I know about it.”

“Dad, I know, I just-“

“No, no ‘I just’ bullshit. School comes first. And if your attendance starts slipping-“

“Hey, Sheriff!” Ray said cheerily, breaking up the tension as she bounced into place beside his dad. “Hey, Stiles. We are still going to go study for Friday’s Calculus quiz, right? Or are you having lunch with your dad?”

The sheriff took in a big breath of air then said, “Sorry for keeping him, Ray. You two go study.” He patted her shoulder as he walked off. Stiles stared at his retreating figure in awe.

“Can’t believe that worked,” Stiles mumbled. “Hey, you wanna come do that every Sunday morning when he is trying to make me mow the lawn?”

“I think if I routinely did that every Sunday, he’d catch on,” Ray said. “Anyway, Ashley disproved your theory, huh?”

“Still the other three were all. .-“ Stiles rubbed his cheek where Ashley slapped him earlier. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Guess it’s for the best, you know? Means we don’t have to have crazy sex tonight to rid us of our virginities.” Ray sighed and turned on her heel. The way Stiles stumbled as he followed after her made her smirk.

“Y-you were wanting to-us to-tonight? Really? W-why?”

He nearly ran into her as she stopped at her locker. She shrugged and waved her hand like it was no big deal. “Oh well you know we’re just such close friends, and I trust you, and there was that whole element of not having to worry about being a sacrifice afterwards.”

The boy failed at looking casual as he leaned against his own locker next to her’s. His emotions were bouncing all over the place from excitement to nerves to, well..horniness. That wasn’t a rare emotion coming from Stiles. It was like he was constantly worried about the world around him, but also always ready for sex.

“We could still-if you want to-you know-“

“I’m good,” Ray shrugged like the thought was water rolling off her shoulders. “I’m probably gonna be hella tired after practice tonight. Coach Kasey is really trying to drill in our halftime show routine because it’s the first time we are going to be doing it and she doesn’t want us to look foolish on another school’s campus.” Ray grabbed a hair tie from her locker and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She had borrowed the hair tie from Lydia the day before at practice and needed to remember to return it at some point. “That reminds me, I know this game is away, but are you coming?”

“I wouldn’t miss your first game,” he promised.

“Good because I was hoping to ride home with you instead of the bus. I don’t even know if I’ll survive the bus ride there with those meathead football players,” Ray said as she rolled her eyes. “Lacrosse players are way hotter."

“Oh really?” Stiles mused.

Ray wrinkled up her nose and said, “Well, not Greenberg. But he’s also a meathead footballer so that might be why. . . Hey, speaking of meatheads, Isaac and Scott have started some rivalry with the Alpha twins. Aiden beat the crap out of Ethan then framed Isaac for it. He has lunch detention now.”

“Oh, that’s just great. Wonderful. Got any other bad news for me?”

“We saw Aiden flirting with Lydia in the hall just now, and I haven’t seen Scotty that mad about something in a while. I think he and Isaac are gonna do something stupid that they regret.”

Stiles scrunched up his nose. “My question was rhetorical. For the record, I only want to hear good news for the rest of the day.”

“So you don’t want to hear about how I plan on stopping them from doing something stupid?”

“Whoa, hey. Don’t get in the middle of that.”

“Why? Because I’m a girl?”

“Uh-no because you don’t heal like they do, and angry boys tend to go around punching things.” His hand rested lightly on her side where her stitches had been. “I don’t want those things to be you. We talked about this.”

The sad look on his pouty lips melted her heart, but it didn’t change her mind. “Stiles, I’ve been dealing with the stupid shit you and Scott do since kindergarten. I can handle myself.”

“Scott and I didn’t morph into a giant Voltron Killer Alpha in kindergarten, Ray.”

“No, but you guys did push me off the trampoline twice, and I lived.”

“But you cried.”

“And yet, you still did it a second time,” she said as her eyes narrowed.

“You fell onto a pile of leaves!” Stiles said in his defense. That didn’t seem to help calm the girl, so he quickly added, “Look, I’m sorry. I obviously didn’t know how to act around pretty girls back then.”

“You still don’t,” she quipped as she pulled her lipgloss from the tray in her locker.

“Yeah-no I really don’t,” Stiles whispered mostly to himself as he watched the girl paint her lips using the little mirror on her locker door. “Hey, do you wanna grab lunch and maybe eat it in my car and-uh-study, or-you know hang out.”

Her locker closing suddenly made the boy jump. She patted his chest and said, “Why don’t you go find more clues to your murder mystery, ones that don’t involve harassing girls for information, while I go find Scott and Isaac like planned.”

“Or you could, I don’t know, not throw yourself in the middle of a supernatural showdown so that I don’t have heart palpitations and die prematurely from stress.” His hand reached out to twirl her ponytail around his finger. Instead of swatting his hand away like usual, she stepped closer. The friendly distance between them had been questionable before, flirtatious even, but now they were obviously well past the friend zone, practically breathing each other’s air.

“Hmm, but what’s life without a little risk?” Her voice was low, practically a whisper.

“Longer. Safer. Less deadly. I could go on.” His eyes flickered to her lips. “But I would rather use my mouth to do other things.” The corner of his mouth upturned slightly. Ray wished she could kiss the little mole that lifted up with it.

“Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll let you try out some of those other things after cheer tonight.”

“Get a room!” Someone yelled from down the hall.

Ray yelled back, over her shoulder, “Shut it, Greenberg! I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen you shove your nasty tongue down Gabby's throat! Why don’t you take your own advice for once!” She looked back to Stiles and said, “I should really go find Scott. I’ll see you in Calc later.”

But before she could leave, his hands were cupping her cheeks. Her heartbeat spiked and her eyes went wide in fear, worried he would kiss her in the open halls. What if someone saw and a rumor went around that made it to Scotty before he heard the truth from them first?

Stiles’s eyes were watery. His eyebrows scrunched together slightly, looking confused and heartbroken as he held the girl in place, forcing her to look at him. “Be careful.” It came out genuine, but Ray couldn’t help but think it almost sounded like he wanted to say something more. That was the most heartbreaking part, not knowing what he was really thinking.

“Stiles, I’m never purposefully not careful,” she tried to joke with a cheesy grin and lightheaded eye roll.

“The night before the full moon you literally tried to punch Derek, an alpha, but the way, and then the next night you ended up in a trap set up by a group of alphas, some of which go to this school who happen to be the ones you insist on dealing with, so yeah- I am asking you to be careful. More careful than you usually are.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful.”

“Thank you,” Stiles said as he let her go then kissed her forehead. “Lo-loser- you. . You loser. Yup. That’s what I was saying- you are a loser.” Stiles cleared his throat then winced.

Ray pouted. “Why am I a loser?” Her heart sank. She thought for sure he was going to say something else something that has been in the back of her head since that woman at the tattoo parlor said it.

“You’re not!”

“Then-then why-“

“Bye!” Stiles shouted as he sprinted off.

While Ray was looking for Scott and Isaac, she realized she had a growing headache that only got worse the longer her search went on. Finally, she found Scott returned a pile of books to the library. Just as she was about to ask if Isaac was in detention, Scott’s head perked up.

“Allison,” he whispered.

“What?” Was all Ray could get out before Scott was running off. The sore muscles in her legs felt like they were being electrified as she took off in a sprint after her best friend. Scott didn’t stop running until he got to the janitor’s closet. A vending machine had been placed in front of the door.

“Is she-,” Ray nearly toppled over as she skidded to a halt, “Is she in there?”

“With Isaac,” Scott yelled as he started shoving the vending machine.

Small spaces were one of Isaac’s triggers, his worst one. He had already been at his boiling point all day. The vending machine toppled over. Scott swung the door open and grabbed Isaac by the shirt to throw him on the ground. The blonde was fully shifted with a deadly yellow glow in his eyes.

Ray bent down to help up the blonde, asking, “Are you al-“ A deep growl cut her off, causing her to gasp and stumble backward.

“Isaac!” Scott yelled. That seemed to get Isaac to snap out of it. Scott checked on Allison while Ray helped up Isaac.

“I’m okay,” Allison insisted, “I’m fine.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't. . . I didn't mean to do that,” Isaac said, still sounding broken and tired.

“I'm okay,” Allison said again since Scott was still holding her.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked Isaac.

All he could say was, “I'm so sorry.”

“It's not his fault,” Allison told Scott.

“I know. I guess now we know they want to do more than get you angry. They want to get someone hurt.”

“Why do they want someone hurt?” Ray asked.

“Doesn’t matter why,” Isaac said bitterly, “We have to do something about it.”

“What could we even do?” Ray asked, trying to make the boys see reason.

Scott’s look turned cold as he said, “We’re gonna get them angry. Really angry.”

Flickers of blue sparked from Ray’s fingertips, catching the attention of the other three teens. She smirked and held up her hand. “We can take them.”

Allison told Scott softly, “You aren’t seriously thinking about fighting them, are you?”

“Then we find some other way,” Isaac insisted.

“I have an idea,” Scott said.

Scott’s plan proved to be far less dangerous than Ray’s idea to just fight the twins. Scott and Ray got to tear apart Ethan’s bike while Allison hot-wired Aiden’s and gave Isaac a brief crash course on how to ride it into the halls. It had been a while since Ray had done anything so mischievous, and surprisingly, it felt great. All throughout Art class, the hunks of metal in her pocket were jingling. She couldn’t wait to show Stiles the bits and pieces in sixth period, proud to show off to the master of mischief himself.

But her plans to show off to the boy were ruined when Stiles never showed to sixth period Calculus. She sent him a string of texts, all fueled by her spiraling thoughts. Anything could have happened. It’s Beacon Hills. Apparently, he was just skipping to research about the murders.

By the time school ended, Ray felt drained from the mental rollercoaster of a day. She still had cheer to go to, but at least she could hang out with her normal friends for a few hours. No human sacrifices, no Alpha twins, no stressing over how hot and cold her and Stiles had been recently. Just breaking a sweat and getting ready for their first halftime show.

After practice, Ray turned the corner in the locker room, saying, “Thanks for letting me borrow your-,” her voice trailed off when she realized Lydia wasn’t at her locker, “hair tie. .” Ray turned to Gabby and asked, “You seen Lydia?”

“Oh! Yeah, she said something about going to her other locker for her Econ textbook. Her stuff’s still here, so she’ll probs be back soon.”

Ray’s eyes landed on the Econ textbook in question at the bottom of Lydia’s stack of binders and books. If it was already here, then why. . . A heavy feeling set in her chest. Ever since Lydia had been the one to find the lifeguard’s body, Ray had been keeping a close eye on her in case she wandered off again. Ray nervously started playing with the hair tie in her hand and tried to convince herself that Gabby had just gotten the name of the textbook wrong. Maybe Lydia really was just headed to her locker.

But what if. . What if it was happening again?

Not even thinking about how suspicious it looked to the other girls, Ray rushed out of the locker room in a panic. The rational part of her brain was insisting everything would be okay, but when Ray didn’t find Lydia at her school locker either, all sense of rationality went out the window. Ray felt weak at the knees and had to lean against the lockers. She started thinking of how she could explain this all to Lydia’s mother. Ms. Martin wasn’t just going to accept that Lydia had simply gone missing.

She forced herself back down the hallway, her head low as tears started to form. Just minutes ago she was with Lydia, but now the girl was missing. There was a serial killer on the loose, one with seemingly no pattern for its victims except that they had all been younger so far. Ray had all this power, but she wasn’t able to do anything to protect her friend.

The door to the music room swung open, nearly hitting Ray in the face. Lydia had rushed out of it, hair wild from practice and a terrified look in her big doe eyes. Ray was quick to wrap her arms around the girl, mumbling into her hair, “You’re not dead!”

“But I think someone else is!” Lydia rushed out. “You have to hear this, and call Stiles, too. I think-I think the music teacher was taken.”

Twenty minutes later, Stiles had figured out that the next set of murders all had to do with warriors. Kyle, the boy from that morning, had been in ROTC with Boyd. The music teacher had been in the military. Lydia remembered another teacher that had served, Harris. Now the four of them were all in Harris’s classroom, trying to figure out if he had been taken as well.

“Stiles, remember what I was telling you about mermaids and sirens?” Deaton asked.

Stiles’s cheeks heated up from the quizzical look that came from Ray. He put his hands on his hips to try and seem less guilty, “About how mermaids can be consumed by power and turn into something darker and lose themselves, becoming sirens.”

So Stiles was doing research on Ray as well. She didn’t know whether she found it heartwarming or. . Hurtful. Did he assume she might turn into something like that? Someone so evil that they let their own quest for power consumes them?

“Right. Druids have something similar. The word ‘druid’ is the Gaelic word for ‘wise oak’. If a druid went down the wrong path, the wise oak was sometimes said to have become a dark oak. There's a Gaelic word for that as well.” Deaton looked down at the papers on the desk, seeming unsettled. The letter on the tests created his next word, “Darach.”

The three teens shared a look of terror before Ray said, “We should tell Scott about all this.”

“And Derek,” Stiles added.

“And let your dad know that two more people are missing,” Lydia chimed in.

Thirty minutes later, Ray was hopping out of the jeep in Scott McCall’s driveway. Stiles had planned on filling Scott in on all the things he learned from Deaton about the Darach. While Ray would usually tag along, tonight she was tired from practice and was ready to just rest. Before Stiles could run up to the McCall’s front door, she had to tell him one last thing.

“That won’t happen to me, you know.”

“What won’t happen?” Stiles asked.

“Becoming a siren,” Ray clarified. The boy got this guilty look on his face. He started to play with his keys nervously. She went on, “Hey, look, I think it’s cool you’re trying to find out more about me and that you would ask Deaton, but. . Well, I don’t know all he told you about sirens, so let me just explain.-,” her hands clasped around her necklace as if she was comforting herself, but then she took it off around her neck and showed the stone to the boy. “Remember what you told me about aquamarine?”

“That it makes you feel more at peace?”

“Right, it does that, and a few other things. The most important is it helps me. . . dull out my abilities. By keeping me calm, I’m not overpowered by human emotions that would strengthen my abilities. Mermaids don’t just become sirens because of a sudden switch. It’s a slow build of gaining power, and continuing to gain it because you like the feeling, then having so much power that it consumes you. Your emotions blind you.”

Stiles started to look uneasy until Ray put the necklace back on. He asked, “So aquamarine is like. . . A safety net?”

“Sort of, yeah. But, I’m also not really interested in gaining a ton of power. I don’t really see myself becoming a siren in any given circumstances, necklace or no necklace.”

“Deaton said that too. . . He said I shouldn’t worry.”

Ray adjusted the strap of her gym bag on her shoulder and looked down at her sneakers. She was almost too afraid to ask, “Do you worry?”

Stiles waited until she looked back up at him to say, “I trust you.”

Still, she couldn’t help but go on, “Then why ask Deaton about sirens? Have you been doing research without telling me? You know you could just ask me, I- I just spent the whole summer with my dad trying to learn it all. You don’t have to go behind my back.”

As soon as the words slip out, she shut her mouth. That wasn’t how she meant to say it.

Stiles was quick to get a little angry and defend himself, “I wasn’t going behind your back.”

“I know!” Ray took a step forward like she wanted to reach out to him. Stiles leaned back on his heels, not really stepping away, but not encouraging her to come any closer either. Her voice sounded desperate, “That’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s what you said, so you must have been thinking it.”

“I wasn’t-Stiles, I know you’re just curious-“

“Curious? I’m not just _curious_ , Ray. I want to better understand you, but you kept me in the dark all summer. And you haven’t told me practically anything since you’ve been back.”

“I know, I’m sor-“

“What am I supposed to do when every time Peter Hale sees you and makes some snide remark about sirens and how dangerous you are? Did you expect me not to look things up? Just wait around for when you felt like explaining something, literally anything to me? You come back from summer and suddenly you can create all this electricity with your hands at will? And don’t think I haven’t forgotten about how you could feel other’s emotions. You never even explained that. Or anything at all! So yeah, I’ve been doing my own research, but I’m not the one going behind the other’s back.”

It had been a while since Ray had seen Stiles snap at someone, and even longer since she had been on the receiving end of it. While Ray was trying to process all that just happened, Stiles stormed up to the McCall’s front door and let himself in with the extra key. The door slammed shut, causing Ray to jump and come out of her numb state.

Where had she gone wrong? The remark about going behind her back clearly set him off. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust him, she just didn’t see why he had to be so secretive about going to Deaton about things.

Then a scary thought started to haunt her. Stiles was quick to give up on things when he got frustrated. Now that she’d made him storm off twice, Ray feared he’d give up on her. One bad fight and he was out, wanting to go back to being friends, or worse, nothing at all. Ray’s biggest fear was not only losing Stiles, but losing her friendship with all of the boys as a result. It was inevitable that they would grow apart if she and Stiles didn’t get along.

A rush of adrenaline had her bursting through the front door of the McCall house. Her sneakers thundered you the old wooden staircase, despite all the sore muscles in her legs screaming at her to take it slow. Her hair flew back from the gust of wind caused by her tearing open Scott’s bedroom door. Three teenage boys turned to look at her in shock, pausing their conversation about the Darach to take in her frazzled state.

“How many people are going to barge into my room tonight? Can you all learn to knock?” Scott said. He looked to Isaac and quickly said, “Not you, of course, you can barge in whenever. Really. Seriously. Whenever.”

“Sorry,” Ray said sheepishly as she tried to tuck the hair that had escaped her ponytail back behind her ears. “Stiles, can I talk to you?”

“Maybe later? Kinda in the middle of something,” Stiles said, gesturing wildly around the room.

Scott caught sight of the broken look on his neighbor’s face and quickly said, “Uh, actually dude, I think Isaac is pretty tired after everything today, so maybe you could like. . Text me later?”

Isaac shrugged. “I’m fine. We could keep go-“ He cut out as Scott elbowed his side and nodded to Ray. “Actually, you know what? I am pretty tired.”

“And we still have to get your room set up,” Scott said.

“And we still have to get my room set up,” Isaac agreed and nodded, not at all sounding casual.

“God, fucking-,” Stiles mumbled under his breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. I’ll text you the whole freaking backstory about the Darach and the series of human sacrifices. Yeah, we figured out the answers to the serial murders in town and I’ll just text you the details.” Stiles’s scoffed as he stormed out of Scott’s room.

His overall energy was terrifying at the moment. Ray wished she hadn’t asked to talk to him at all. She was too scared to even follow him until Scott put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her out of his room, saying, “Go after him.”

Ray barely made it to the jeep in time. He had already put it in reverse and was checking behind him to back out of the driveway. Stiles rolled his eyes in annoyance when she slipped into the passenger seat. Her shaking hands fumbled with the sticky seatbelt before clicking it into place. The radio was blasting so loud, she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. That was almost a blessing since those thoughts had just been worry all day.

There were multiple times on their car ride where Ray felt like she should have turned down the music and said something. It wasn’t until Stiles stopped for gas and was getting back in that she found the courage.

Well, really she just blurted it out, “Don’t break up with me.”

Stiles blinked a couple of times. He was sure he hadn’t heard her right. “What?”

“Or, break up with me, if that’s what you want. I don’t want to like force you to date me, but- oh god, please don’t break up with me. I didn’t mean what I said, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know about this summer. I didn’t even know you wanted to know, you know? Or else I would have told you everything. It’s just- we’ve had so much going on since I got back.”

“Breaking up with you would be the stupidest decision of my life,” his words were followed by a loud sigh then him shift the jeep into drive. Although he was technically denying the potential break up, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do it.

Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Ray’s day started out with seeing a dead body on the running trail. All that happened with Isaac and Lydia had her anxiety spiked. She wouldn’t be surprised if her night ended up in a breakup. A breakup to a relationship that no one even knew about so none of her friends would even be able to comfort her.

Her voice was barely audible. “It’s okay if you want to. I deserve it after what I said.”

The jeep jolted at the stop sign. Stiles turned in his seat. A frustrated sigh escaped him before, “You know I said it right back to you, right? And I meant to hurt you by saying it when you really just let it slip out. I’m the one who fucked up. You were right, I did go behind your back and talk to Deaton about sirens, and actually, it didn’t even cross my mind to ask you first because I was afraid you’d be offended like how you are every time Peter or Derek says it.”

Ray didn’t know what to say. Her emotions were flip-flopping. She didn’t have to feel terrified of losing him anymore, but now she felt guilty because he was right. But also. . . She was angry because he was right. It was a bit embarrassing at how well Stiles knew her. She probably would have been offended if he had come to her about sirens. It was annoying that he anticipated for her to react badly, but it was true. That truth made her feel like a shitty person, one her friends couldn’t go to about anything without fearing judgment.

The jeep sputtered a moment then the headlights and roar of the engine cut out. Stiles threw it into park, mumbling, “Not again. Not now!” as he twisted the key in the ignitions multiple times. The jeep didn’t even sound like it was trying to turn on.

“What’s happening?” Ray asked as she turned on the flashlight on her phone.

“The battery is just-ugh! It’s fine. This has happened a couple times over summer. I just have to call my dad to come jump it.”

A spark of anxiety came back as soon as Stiles left her in the jeep alone. He rummaged around the back compartment for jumper cables as he called his dad. The two bickered on the phone for a bit. It sounded like the sheriff might have been giving Stiles a hard time about being out this late on a school night. Just wait till he finds out Ray was with him.

Stiles was clearly annoyed as he hung up the phone. “My dad’s on a call so it might be about twenty minutes,” he yelled before slamming the back compartment window shut.

Twenty minutes of waiting on the side of a desolate road. . . In the dark. . While there was a killer on the loose. . . A supernatural serial killer to be more specific. . One that would use them for ritual sacrifices.

Ray timidly got out of the jeep and hurried over to Stiles’s side at the hood of the jeep. He had the jumper cables between his teeth as he held up the hood. Ray reached up on her tiptoes, holding the hood for him so that he could relax a little. She shined her flashlight over all the parts under the hood. Everything just looked like junk to her. She couldn’t guess the battery from the engine if someone held her at gunpoint.

“Yeah, everything else looks fine. Just the piece of crap battery,” Stiles took a step back from the hood and ran his free hand through his hair. “This sucks. I’m sorry, Ray.”

It did suck. Ray’s arm was already starting to get tired from holding up the heavy hood. She switched arms to give herself a rest. The boy noticed her discomfort and quickly reached up to grab the hood again.

“No, it’s fine,” Ray insisted, wanting to be helpful.

“There’s nothing I can do until my dad gets here anyway. Let’s just wait inside.”

The light wind caused a rustling in the woods along the road. Ray grabbed Stiles’s flannel and said, “And lock the doors.”

They miraculously stayed alive until the sheriff got there. Ray was sure they’d be the next two found bodies in the woods with how eerily similar their situation was to the beginning of a horror film. Now the only scary part was dealing with the county sheriff.

Once the jeep was started back up, Noah pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, “Are you gonna explain to me what you and Ray are doing out here so late?”

“We were studying and I was taking her home!” Stiles said as he causally put a hand on Ray’s shoulder and shook it as if she was just ‘one of the bro’s.’

“This is clear on the other side of town from both of our houses,” his dad deadpanned.

“Yeah, well, you see-,” Stiles winced and looked to Ray for help.

“We were going to Shakey’s, but it was already closed by the time we got there. So we decided to just get snacks at the gas station to refuel,” Ray said, using her charming, parent-approved smile.

“Uh huh. And what did you guys buy?”

“At the gas station?” Ray asked.

“Gasoline,” Stiles said. Ray elbowed his side, so he added, “And Reese’s.”

“Listen, kids, believe it or not, I was a teenager once too-“

“Oh god. Here we go,” Stiles mumbled.”

“-so I know what it looks like to sneak around and lie to your parents.”

“Not sneaking! No sneaking was happening!” Stiles insisted. Ray was too nervous to even defend herself. The sheriff would see right through her if she even dared to open her mouth.

He raised a hand up to his son and said, “It’s fine. I just need to know where you are, and I would like to know when Ray is coming over ahead of time. Also, door open, like always.”

“Dad-“

“And, Ray, I’m taking you home. Let’s go.”

Ray nodded while Stiles argued, “Dad, totally not necessary.”

“Stiles, go straight home.”

Ray could never whine to her mother the way Stiles was whining to his dad. If Ray pouted and argues like that, grounded. Actually, if her mother even knew she was out this late with a boy, grounded. Hopefully, Sonia wouldn’t notice the cop car dropping off her daughter past ten at night.

“But-we were- wait. Dad, I’ll take her home and then go straight home, I swear.”

It wasn’t uncommon for Stiles to bargain with his dad. Usually, Ray thought it was entertaining, but now she was embarrassed. The sheriff obviously knew the teens were not longer just friends. If Ray’s mother knew that, Ray wouldn’t dare question her mother’s demands.

But, the pleading and puppy dog eyes seemed to be working on the sheriff. He sighed and rubbed his face, a gesture Stiles often did when he was tired and feeling defeated.

“Alright, but I’m gonna swing by the house in twenty, and if you aren’t there-“

“I will be,” Stiles insisted.

“If you aren’t sitting in your room, alone, I will ground you from the jeep.”

“Got it. Yes. Deal. You don’t even need to worry because I will go straight home.”

Ray fought the urge to roll her eyes. Stiles always sounded so guilty when he was talking to his dad, even when being truthful.

With Stiles’s dad gone, the tension between the two teens quickly spiked. Now that the problems with the jeep were solved, they went back to thinking about their own issues. Ray nervously started playing with her hair and looking for split ends to not only distract herself but also look as casual as possible. She didn’t want Stiles to know what she was thinking because she was embarrassed. Part of her still feared this was where it all ended. If she had talked to anyone before starting this relationship, they would have told her she was crazy. Her and Stiles bickered too much to make things work. They’d always be like this, never really agreeing.

Stiles was fidgeting as well, tapping the steering wheel, scratching the back of his neck, bouncing his knee. He had a lot of what he wanted to say already planned, but now wasn’t the right time.

“Do you want to, uh. . .,” his voice trailed off the second their eyes met.

“-Make out for a bit?” Ray finished for him as a joke.

Stiles’s eyes went comically wide, “You don't really. . Wait, really? ‘Cuz-“

“I’m joking, Stiles.”

“Yeah! I knew that. Of course.” He tapped on his steering wheel again then said, “But you don’t want to break up?”

“Before we even get to tell anyone that we’re dating? No, I think I’d like to stick around a bit longer.”

“Long enough time hear my apology for yelling and acting totally crazy lately?” Before Ray could respond, he had gone on to explain himself, “Look, I know what you’re going to say, and you’re right. If you want to save your friends, I can’t stop you, and I shouldn’t get mad at you for that. I just- you and Scotty are the only two consistent things in my life other than my dad. Scott has this need to save everyone, no matter who, and I can’t stop him. Your friends come before anything, and that’s so cool. It’s- it’s one of the reasons I liked you. And I love being one of those friends that you would do anything for. But I’m just. . . I’m not like you and Scott. I have my two best friends to worry about, and that’s it. And honestly? You and Scott have been worrying me ever since this year started. So I’m sorry for all the researching behind your back. It’s just that- I feel like I need to be prepared for when things go wrong because they always do.”

Ray nodded, mostly just to show that she was in fact listening and just needed to take it all in. “That’s was a lot,” she mumbled.

“Sorry, I just-“

“Don’t apologize. I like knowing what’s going on in your head.”

“Sorry, I mean, not sorry. But also, you should know that I worry so much because. . because I-“

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Ray said, interrupting him again. “I worry about you too.” Her fingers combed through his hair softly. Stiles closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. He opened his mouth to finish what he was saying, then suddenly she drew her hand back and shrugged. Ray casually went on, “It’s normal to worry about your friends. I get why you talked to Deaton because you were right, I would have gotten offended. I would have thought you were afraid of me or something. Sirens aren’t exactly spoken great about, especially not by sea nymphs. My dad and his group told some pretty horrific stories about sirens. They aren’t something to be taken lightly.”

Her hand reached out to take his from the wheel since they were still parked on the side of the road. She gave him a cheesy grin and said, “I didn’t know you cared so much, Stilinski. I’ll be sure to be more careful and try my hardest not to run with wolves.”

Stiles found himself wondering if now was the right time to say what he had been trying to. Maybe getting interrupted was a sign to not say it now, at least not tonight. It’s not something he wanted to force or use as an excuse for his actions. He wanted to mean it when he said it.

“No more getting Alphas suspended or taking on raged out Betas in vaults?” Stiles asked. Her hand felt so soft in his.

“At least not in the foreseeable future,” Ray said with a teasing smile.

“That’s as good as I’m gonna get, huh?”

“Is it enough to make you not mad at me?”

The way the playfulness in Ray’s eyes filled out caused Stiles to frown. Her hand slipped from his, retreating away so that she could hug herself, a subconscious soothing mechanisms Ray often did before she started to panic. Stiles wanted to reach across the center console and hug her himself so that she didn’t feel so alone. Instead, his hands went back to the wheel. He was screaming at himself in his head, but he just couldn’t think of the right thing to say.

“I’m such an asshole,” Stiles whispered.

“What?” Ray said. She turned in her seat to face him and cup his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “No you aren’t.”

His mouth parted in disbelief. He should have been comforting her, and here she was comforting him for not knowing how to comfort her.

“I am, Ray. I am. I have no fucking idea how to act around you now. It’s not like there’s a guide to dating a supernatural creature who constantly has her life on the line. I don’t even think I could handle a boring, average high school relationship. Knowing what to say when you’re sad doesn’t- I mean- I know what I want to do and say, I just-I can’t. I’ve never really- I didn’t think I’d get this far as fast as I have and I’m just not prepared and now werewolves and darachs and mermaids are all involved and I just-“

“What do you want to do?” Ray asked.

“I want- Fuck! I don’t know. I want to hug you when you get sad so that you don’t have to hug yourself but I’m the reason you're sad so I can’t just like- force myself on you.”

Ray dropped her hands and said, “Well, I would not mind a hug.”

“See?” Stiles shrugged dramatically. “Like! I know you need one, but you wouldn’t want me to be the one because I’m the one always stressing you out lately because I’m like a fucking five year old who can’t let shit go, like- I’m sorry for bringing up the bank thing all the time. You got hurt. I should be asking if you are okay, not fucking nagging you, but- Jesus, Ray. You of all people know I can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

Instead of responding back, Ray climbed over the center console and swung a leg over stiles to straddle him. He was a stuttering mess until she snuggled into the crook of his neck and wrap her arms behind him.

“W-what are you doing?” Stiles was hesitant to wrap his arms around her. He only did it because he had no idea where else to put them.

“You seemed like you needed a hug too.”

“Oh- Well, I-“ Stiles didn’t know what to say. His mind had gone blank. Though, after these past few weeks, a blank mind was a blessing.

Ray spoke softly, “You know, experts say hugs should be twenty seconds to lower blood pressure, stress, and heart rate.”

“So we should hug for twenty seconds?” Stiles asked.

“Or longer. Your heart is beating really fast, so we should keep going.”

Stiles chuckled, “Maybe that’s because I have a pretty girl in my lap.”

“Well, get used to it because I’m tired of fighting. The fake fighting too,” Ray admitted. “I hate lying to everyone. Danny knows I’m seeing someone, and he thinks it’s Scott.”

“Scott?? Oh that would be so- gross.”

“Hey! Scotty isn’t gross.” Although the idea of dating Scott did in fact, gross her out, Ray felt the need to defend her friend, especially since he wasn’t around to defend himself.

“Oh, come on! You guys are like siblings. And I bet you’d never be alone. One of you would always be like, ‘I invited Isaac!’ And the other person would never complain because you both have that weird obsession with him, for no reason by the way because he is totally evil.”

Ray giggled. Stiles and Isaac never got along, but it was obvious Isaac was far from evil. As evil as a lost puppy could be. “Yeah-,” she said as she climbed back to her own seat, “Isaac Lahey, evil mastermind.”

“I just don’t buy the whole sappy, misunderstood, underdog story he puts on, alright? It’s not like he was at the bottom of the school food chain! Girls have always liked him!”

“Sounds like someone is jealous of Isaac’s good looks,” Ray teased.

“So you think he’s good looking?” Stiles accused.

“Why has everyone been assuming I’m into Isaac lately? Maybe you guys are all just projecting stuff into me. You know, just because you find a boy attractive doesn’t mean I have to.”

Stiles looked like a fish out of water. “I-I never said- Well. . Wait! No- I’m not projecting!”

“Stiles. . . Didn’t your dad tell you to be home in twenty minutes exactly. . . twenty minutes ago. . .”

Stiles threw the jeep into drive, yelling “Shit, shit, shit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the uhh...two months of not posting. My life is getting back to normal (except for the mullet I gave myself during a mental breakdown).  
> Hating Trump in a small town has definitely worn down my mental health, not only these last two months but during his entire presidency in general. The themes of this season are dark, and I didn’t think they would affect me so heavily, but it is hard to write about. I usually use writing as escapism, and the first two seasons of Teen Wolf are kinda my happy place to escape to. Season 3...not for the weak of mind.
> 
> Things are looking up in the real world though!!  
> I had this weekend off for a wedding, so I’m in a much better headspace and I thought I’d edit and post. 
> 
> (I assume it’s safe to post these kinds of thoughts here since you guys are reading a Stiles fan fic and Dylan O’Brien is very anti-Trump, so. . If you disagree with me then...fuck off?)


	29. Bottled Up

For a Monday night, Ray sure was full of energy. The bright smile on her face illuminated the school parking lot as she skipped her last few steps over to the jeep and swung the door open. The boy in the driver’s seat returned her energetic smile, surprised to see her in such a good mood.

“You won’t believe what I just heard,” Ray said as she tossed her bags into the backseat like they were as light as air.

“They’re finally making community college free?” Stiles asked.

“Better than that. Lydia just told me that Allison texted her that Scott came over to talk to her, and apparently a bit of light-hearted roughhousing went on and now Allison is all confused about whether or not she is truly over him.”

Stiles blinked a few times then said, “And by roughhousing you mean-“

“Nothing sexual, Stilinski, jeez. They tried to see who was stronger.”

The boy scratched the back of his head and asked, “And you’re so happy because-“

“Allison and Scott might get back together! And then we can finally tell Scott, and then we can all finally hang out and- oh! You can come over for dinner more often without my mom being suspicious because she’ll just know and- Danny is going to lose his shit when he finds out it’s you I’ve been secretly dating for five months. You know, he thought I was dating you back in January because Lydia told him we went bowling. Crazy, right?”

“Bowling was a date,” Stiles insisted.

Ray rolled her eyes playfully, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “Agree to disagree.”

A warm feeling filled up the boy’s chest. At the red light, he turned to look at her and say how nice it was to see her beautiful smile and how much he had missed it lately. Ray’s smile had disappeared though. She was looking down at her phone, reading a text from their best friend.

“Scott says the Alpha pack lives in Allison’s building. . .-,” she scrolled to the next text then sighed. “And that Derek’s pack is planning on attacking them soon.”

The warmth in Stiles’s chest was replaced with a cold worry. He licked his lips then asked, “Are you- uh, did you plan on helping with that?”

“Honestly?” Ray looked at her phone then threw it over her shoulder to the backseat. “I am taking the day off from thinking about anything supernatural related, and I’m not going to get involved unless Scott himself asks me to.”

Stiles’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, “Are you serious? You don’t have the undying urge to like- drive to the loft immediately and help out?”

“I thought we agreed I would stop running headfirst into fire?”

“I’m just- I’m just shocked that you are actually going through with it.”

“Believe it or not, I would rather study with you than fight a pack of Alphas who want us all dead.”

Studying did not come easy. The supernatural whirlwind of Beacon Hills did not care that Ray and Stiles were trying to pass high school. Stiles didn’t seem to care either, or rather couldn’t because he was too distracted thinking about the human sacrifices going on in his small hometown. The boy was tapping his pen against his desk and staring off into space. No doubt he was trying to guess which group of sacrifices was meant to happen next so that he could somehow prevent it.

His girlfriend had decided long ago that she was also too distracted from reality to focus on something as trivial as homework. Her math book was laid out next to her on his bed, but she was drawing away in her leather-bound sketchbook. Her eyes flickered to Stiles then back to the page in front of her. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated. The sketch was a welcome distraction from the scary thought that lurked isn’t the shadows of Beacon Hills.

Instead, her mind was wandering about whether or not she should just say how she felt, why she was really so happy that day. Who cares if Stiles didn’t say it back? She felt it, and she wanted him to know. There wasn’t any other boy she wanted to watch glare at his research for hours while she drew him. There wasn’t anyone else she wanted to connect the little moles on their skin to draw constellations. There wasn’t anyone else she would sit through a whole Mets game for just to hold their hand on the couch.

Stiles finally came out of his spiral of thoughts to ask, “What are you drawing?”

Ray frowned, knowing she would not be able to finish the project now that Stiles stopped spacing out. It would be rare to get him to not move for that long again.

“You,” she answered simply as she shaded part of his hair on the drawing.

Of course, Stiles got up to see the image after hearing that. Ray closed the book quickly and held it out of his reach. Stiles pouted and got onto the bed himself so that he could reach for it.

“It’s not done,” she told him.

“Just a peak?”

“Your puppy dog eyes don’t work on me, Stiles. Only Scott’s do.”

Stiles sighed and gave up. He fell into the place on the bed next to her so hard that the mattress jumped and creaked. Ray reached over him to put the sketchbook in her bag, then lowered the bag to the floor. Instead of straightening up completely, she stayed slightly leaning over Stiles who was giving her a mischievous smile.

“Oh no,” she said, her hand resting on his hip, “Do I even want to know what that look is for?”

“Just thinking about how I would draw you.” He gave her that smirk that was always paired with a devilish spark in his eyes. A fire fueled by his constant curiosity and excitement. Flames that would never die out.

“As a stick figure, probably,” Ray responded without hesitation.

Stiles laughed. He was laying against his pillow with her looking down on him. His right hand reached up to run his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She tried to read the look on his face. He was happy, so happy she couldn’t read his emotions for more than a second without feeling her own heart swell up. It was like that happiness he felt at the tattoo parlor.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Ray questioned playfully. She moved his hand that was cupping her face so that she could kiss the palm of it lightly.

“I love you,” Stiles said so casually like it had just been a simple answer to her question.

“You-what?” She asked, sounding dazed. Had she been the one to let it slip out? Had she imagined him saying that? Was she daydreaming?

Stiles sat up so that they were eye level. He said it again, “I love you.”

Ray didn’t even need to think about it. She’d known since winter formal.

“I love you too.”

There was a beat of silence of them just smiling at each other then Ray asked, “We’re like-we’re together, right? Like you’re my boyfriend?”

“Well I would freaking hope so,” Stiles told her. “You haven’t been kissing anyone else the past five months, have you?”

“No! God, no.”

“Okay good.” Stiles leaned forward to give her a quick chaste kiss. “Anyway, wanna order a pizza?”

Ray stared at him dreamily. She put her hand on his cheek as she said, “I thought you’d never ask.” Stiles started to get off the bed, but Ray tugged his arm so he’d come back. She asked, “Can you say it just one more time?”

“Wanna order pizza?” He repeated playfully and started chucking at her pouty reaction.

“Stiles!” Her thumb grazed over his bottom lip. “You know what I mean.”

“Of course I will,” Stiles left a kiss on her cheek then mumbled against her skin, “As many times as you want.”

Ray’s heart felt like it grew each time he said it. She’d never get tired of his voice saying those three words.

The cross country team was buzzing with excitement on the bus the next morning. Most students were happy to be out of school, though there was a small handful who were worried about leaving Beacons Hills after last night’s events.

Isaac Lahey and Raymona Nerine sat near the front of the bus with their friend Vernon Boyd in a seat by himself right behind them. Isaac and Ray each had a headphone in, mindlessly listening to an audiobook for their English class on Ray’s iPod. Boyd was bravely reading his history textbook, claiming he didn’t get car sick while reading. Ray wished she could say the same. Maybe then she would be drawing up the sketch assignment for Art class instead of forcing herself to pay attention to the constant switching of narration in As I Lay Dying, a book that Ray once found almost fun to read for class, but today it seemed impossible to get into it, for more than one reason.

“We should go back for his body,” Isaac whispered out of the blue. His two friends were too in shock to answer him. He turned to look at Boyd behind them, “No, really. I know how to dig a proper grave. And we can’t just-we can’t just leave him there.”

“What if the Alphas expect us to return and attack?” Boyd asked.

“Scott’s not ready for another fight,” Ray whispered.

Last night, Ray was able to heal Isaac, Boyd, and Cora, but for some reason. . . Her powers didn’t work on Scott. They had before, so she had no idea why she couldn’t heal him. Her best friend was bleeding out, and there was nothing she could do. She also hadn’t done anything to prevent it. . Maybe if she had known. . .

“We can’t just leave him,” Isaac said again.

“If there was a way we knew they weren’t going to ambush us,” Boyd grumbled as he looked over his shoulder to the Alpha sitting next to Ray’s stepbrother.

Ray looked behind them on the bus to check on her stepbrother, but instead, she locked eyes with a boy at the back of the bus who panicked and put his iPad in front of his face to act like he hadn’t been watching her. Instead of panic setting in, Ray felt a tug at her chest. She put on her hood and slouched deeper on the bus bench, facing forward so that she didn’t have to see the boy in the back. Thankfully, Isaac and Boyd were too focused on Ethan to even notice Ray’s awkward exchange with the other boy.

But the exchange didn’t go unnoticed by everyone. Scott McCall frowned and asked his friend, “What happened between you two?”

Stiles nearly jumped out of his seat. His voice went an octave higher, clearly guilty of hiding something. “Me and who?”

“Dude, you’ve been staring at Ray for almost the entirety of these three hours.”

“I- I have not been- We’ve been working on SAT words! I don’t have time to stare-and I wasn’t staring. If I had been, it was just looking-general looking like, all around the bus! Not just at Ray.”

The chilly window felt amazing against Scott’s burning forehead. His body had been healing and running a fever since last night. Usually, a cut like this would have healed by now. All he could do is hope it would be better before they made it to the meet. If not. . . If not then he’d have Boyd rewrap it in the locker room. He could keep up with everyone, probably even still beat Stiles’s time even with his side wrapped.

His injury wasn’t that bad anyway. He could deal with it. He would willingly deal with worse if it meant last night ended differently. It still felt unreal.

“Yo, Scotty. Hey, yo, Scotty? Still with me?” Stiles asked, pulling the werewolf out of his spiraling thoughts, something he had been doing the entire bus ride.

If they stayed focused on the SAT words, they wouldn’t have time to think about anything else on their giant list of problems.

Scott winced and pulled himself up from the window, “Yeah, sorry. Uh, what's the word?”

"Anachronism."

“Something that exists out of its normal time.”

“Nice-“

“You know, if Ray were sitting with us,-“ Scott couldn’t help but bring up the girl again. It was so unlike Stiles to not want to talk about Ray. He was determined to find out what was going on between his two best friends before this bus ride was over. That was something Scott could fix. “-she’d probably say Captain America is an anachronism.”

Stiles blatantly ignored Scott’s comment and went on, “Okay, next word, incongruous.”

“Um, can you use it in a sentence?”

“Yes. Yes, I can. It's completely incongruous that we're sitting on a bus right now, on our way to some stupid cross country meet after what just happened.” Stiles’s eyes flickered up to the front of the bus again as he mumbled, “Incongruous.”

“Out of place, ridiculous, absurd,” Scott said.

“Perfect. Okay, next word. Um, Darach. Darach, it's a noun.” Stiles glanced over at his friend to see Scott’s annoyance. He went on, “We have to talk about it sometime, okay? And we're gonna be stuck in this thing for, like, five hours, so why not?”

“Why don’t we talk about how weird you and Ray were this morning getting on the bus?” Scott responded.

Stiles rolled his eyes and said, “Next word. . . Intransigent.”

“Stubborn, obstinate-“ The bus hit a pothole, causing Scott to groan and hunch over in pain.

Ray, who had been reading their emotions from the front of the bus, turned in her seat looking pale and panicked. She couldn’t see Scott because of Greenberg’s giant head. Boyd asked her what was wrong, but she shrugged it off like it was nothing. If the boys next to her knew how bad Scott was doing, that might set them off and cause a fight between them and the Alpha seated right next to her brother. She couldn’t risk her brother getting in the middle of anything.

“Oh, buddy, you okay?” Stiles asked and didn’t receive a response. “We shouldn't have come. I knew it. We shouldn't have come.”

“We had to. There's safety in numbers,” Scott insisted.

“Yeah, well, there's also death in numbers, okay? It's called a massacre. . or bloodbath-,” he scrolled down the thesaurus page on his iPad, “-carnage, slaughter, butchery, wow, that's-“ Scott let out another soft groan, diverting Stiles’s attention from the iPad back to him, “Alright, Scott, I'm telling Coach that-“

“No. No, no, no. I'm alright.”

“Well, you don't look alright. Would you just let me see it?”

“I'm okay,” Scott insisted.

“Just let me see it, okay?”

Scott nodded and lifted his shirt.

“Oh, dude. . . You can’t let Ray see that.”

“I know it's bad, but it's because they're from an Alpha. It'll take longer to heal.”

“How come she was able to heal Boyd and Isaac just fine then?” Stiles’s eyes flickered back to the girl at the front of the bus wearing her school hoodie. She must have felt eyes on her because she glanced over her shoulder to see him again. Her lips curved into a frown.

She knew things were bad, Stiles couldn’t do much to keep her from the truth.

“I can't believe he's dead,” Scott mumbled, his head resting against the cool window again, “I can't believe Derek's dead.”

Near the front of the bus, the coach was getting fed up with the teens walking up and down the bus as much as they pleased, “Two of you, back in your seats. Jared, again, car sick? Every ti- how do you even get on the bus? Look at me. No, don't look at me. Look at the horizon. Keep your eyes. . keep your eyes on the horizon.” He looked around the bus for someone else to yell at, “McCall, not you too.”

“No, Coach! I'm good.”

Boyd’s eyes narrowed at the worried look on Ray’s face. He guessed, “He’s still bleeding.”

Isaac quickly turned to look at Scott and listen in on Stiles. “He is. . But why hasn’t he healed?”

Ray sunk deeper in the bus bench, mumbling, “How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“Chill, Grumpy, it was rhetorical.” Isaac rolled his eyes. “You and Stiles need to kiss and make up already.”

“We aren’t together. And- there’s nothing wrong.”

“Well, then why the hell has this been the bus ride from hell? I’m not sitting with you on the way home if you’re gonna be like this.”

Ray plucked her earphone from his ear, no longer in the mood to share or listen to that stupid audiobook. She turned her iPod volume up to ten and shuffled her workout playlist. Isaac didn’t seem too phased by her attitude and decided to check his phone, trying to figure out why the hell the bus was stopped, again.

“There's a jackknifed tractor a few miles ahead. Could miss the meet. .,” Isaac glanced over his shoulder to see what Boyd thought about it. Isaac’s eyes went wide.

The beta was breathing heavily. He grabbed at the back of Isaac and Ray’s seat in hopes of grounding himself. Ray felt a claw snag her hoodie and turned around to see what was wrong. Boyd’s eyes flashed yellow.

He still didn’t have much control over his shift since he was in the vault for months.

“Boyd?” Isaac tried. “Stop thinking about it, man.”

“Like, you're not thinking about it too?” Boyd accused.

“Well, thinking about it is making you feel worse,” Ray said, “You have to stop.”

Boyd clenched his teeth and grumbled, “I can't.”

“Well, there's nothing you can do about it either,” Isaac told him. “At least, not here.”

“You sure about that?” Boyd asked.

A hand landed on top of his. Isaac and Ray both let out a sigh of relief as Scott bent down to talk to Boyd.

“Let go,” Boyd demanded

“You got a plan?” Scott asked, “Tell me your brilliant plan, and I'll let go. What are you gonna do? Kill him, right here? And then what? What are you gonna do after that?”

“I don't care.”

“I do.”

“Whoa, whoa, you're still hurt,” Isaac realized after seeing all the blood on Scott’s shirt.

Scott adjusted his jacket, his eyes guiltily flickering to Ray the back to Isaac. “I'm fine. Give me a chance to figure something out, something that doesn't have to end with someone else dying.”

“Okay,” Boyd agreed.

“And you,” Scott said to Ray, “I need to talk to you in the back.”

Ray frowned and looked at the back of the bus. The last row fit five people if someone sat at the back of the aisle. Stiles was pretending to be looking at his iPad, but he kept curiously looking up at Scott and Ray, wondering what the hell was going on.

“I don’t want to. . sit next to Taylor,” Ray lied, calling out the blonde girl sitting with her friend on the back left side of the bus.

“We’ll make Stiles take the middle seat,” Scott bargained. And then he did the unthinkable. He pouted and gave Ray his big puppy dog eyes.

No way in hell she’d be able to say no to that.

Stiles jolted up from his seat at the sight of Ray following Scott down the aisle. The hoodie string he was chewing on fell from his mouth as he asked, “Crisis adverted?”

Scott mumbled a barely coherent, “Mm-Hmm,” as he scooted past Stiles to the window seat.

Ray silently brushed past Stiles to follow the werewolf, offering the boy no hello other than her hand patting his knee once he finally scrambled to sit back down. The iPad nearly slipped from his hands.

“Oh-uhm, okay, good. 'Cause we got another problem. Ethan keeps checking his phone, like, every five minutes. It's like he's waiting for something, you know, like, a message or a signal of some kind. I don't know, something evil though, I can tell. I have a very perceptive eye for evil, but you know that.”

“No you don’t,” Ray quipped.

Stiles let out what sounded like a disgruntled whine followed by Scott admitting, “I don't like him sitting with Danny.”

“See?” Stiles said. “And neither do I! I'm gonna see what he's waiting for.”

Ray rolled her eyes as she watched Stiles click on her stepbrother’s contact name in his phone. She had to ask, “What the hell are you doing?”

“I'm gonna ask.”

“I’m going back to the front,” Ray declared as she started to stand. Scott pulled her back down. She didn’t put in much of a fight and opted for crossing her arms and grumbling to herself like a toddler who didn’t get their way. When Danny turned to look back at Stiles, clearly annoyed over the text, Ray sunk in her seat and pulled the strings of her hoodie to hide her face. He was totally going to nag her for this later. They had already been on thin ice lately since Danny was still angry with her for keeping things from him. How quickly Ethan and Danny hit things off made Ray struggle even more with whether it was a good idea to tell Danny the truth.

The texts didn’t seem to be working. At first, all Stiles got back was a, “No.” This caused him to send Danny a giant wave of messages, hoping that being persistent would get his way.

Ray glared at Scott and asked, “Did you drag me back here to ask me something, or did you just want to rope me into this embarrassment?”

Scott let out a breathy laugh. “Just thought you might need your daily dose of Stiles.”

Little did Scott know, Ray already had her daily dose of Stiles that morning. In fact, he had spent the whole night with her. After she healed up the werewolves, she was distraught over not being able to help Scott.

_Stiles had made sure Ray got up to her front door okay. Her cheeks were stained with trails of tears that had been falling the entire ride home. Ray couldn’t help but wonder how different things could have turned out if she had gone with Scott and Isaac. Maybe she could have stunned a couple of Alphas with her abilities. Maybe Derek wouldn’t have. . ._

_“Stay?” Ray asked the boy._

_“W-what?”_

_“I don’t want to be alone.”_

_Stiles knew he wouldn’t be getting even five minutes of sleep without his pillow, but he instantly agreed. How could he not? Her voice sounded so broken. The last thing he wanted to do at that moment was leave her. And who needs sleep anyway?_

“Ah yes,” Ray said, “Haven’t had enough Stiles today.” She glared over at the pale boy who was still obsessively sending texts to Danny.

“You know, ‘cuz you two have gotten so used to hanging out recently,” Scott went on.

Ray faked a laugh. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Yesterday Isaac tried calling you, then Stiles. Turns out you were sleeping on his couch.”

Stiles finally looked up from his phone to defend himself, “We were just-“

“-Working on Calc and I fell asleep waiting for Stiles to catch up,” Ray finished.

“Oh, right, totally. You were doing Calculus homework past 9 pm.”

Stiles cleared his throat and said, “I think Danny is actually going to-“ The boy cut himself off as Danny and Ethan looked over their shoulders at the three. Stiles and Scott ducked down, Scott ducking normally and Stiles falling sideways into Ray’s lap. The way Ray’s hand instinctively went to his hair definitely didn’t help their case. They were lucky Scott didn't seem to catch that.

“Well, that wasn't very subtle,” Stiles mumbled as he and Scott sat back up. His phone lit up with a response from Danny.

_Someone close to him is sick. Might not make it through the night._

“Ennis?” Scott guessed.

“Okay, so does that mean, uh-“

“He survived the fall,” Ray whispered.

“He's not dead,” Scott realized.

“Not yet,” Stiles added.

Scott groaned and leaned his head against the window again. Ray’s hand reached out to check his cut, but Stiles pulled her hand back.

“Trust me,” he said, “Not pretty. . . Oh, oh no.” Stiles saw the panic in her eyes. She was about to start crying again. “Ray, don’t freak out. He’s gonna be fine, right, Scotty.”

Scott’s eyes slowly blinked open. A bead of sweat fell down his temple as he whispered, “I’m fine.”

_The bus was set to leave during their morning break. Ray said her goodbyes to Gabby who wished her luck on her first meet and told her not to be so nervous. Sadly, a high school cross country meet was the least of Ray’s worries._

_“Ray!” Stiles’s voice sounded dire like the world would end if she didn’t give the boy her full attention. He grabbed her by the shoulders to turn her vision away from the entrance to the bus._

_“Stiles!” Ray said back, mocking his haste by grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him. She laughed and asked, “What could possibly be wrong now? It’s not even 10 yet.”_

_“Wrong? Nothing's wrong,” Stiles said as he casually leaned against the back of the bus. It was hard to take him seriously with the smudge of peanut butter on his cheek. He went on, “Okay, actually, I just wanted to warn you not to sit with me and Scott.”_

_Even just hearing her best friend’s name tugged on her chest. “Why? Is he still. . .”_

_“Yes, and well-after everything you said last night. . I just thought you’d wanna avoid him for the ride there, ya know, let him heal up a bit.”_

_Maybe, just this once, Stiles was right. Ray could just sit with Isaac and Boyd for the trip. That wasn’t such a big deal. Her and Isaac could work in English homework, and Boyd didn’t hate having her around, at least, he tolerated her better than he did Stiles._

_“Thank you for telling me,” Ray said. She smiled evilly and added, “I guess I should let you know something too then. . .” Stiles perked up, excited to hear about whatever had Ray smiling so wide. Her next words weren’t at all what he expected, “There’s peanut butter on your face.”_

_“There’s-“ Stiles wiped his cheek then looked down at the peanut butter that was now also smeared on his fingertips. “Oh, for the love of-“_

_“Better run to the bathroom quick before Coach leaves your ass,” Ray warned him._

Stiles had been right, it was extremely hard to watch Scott be in so much pain while not being able to do anything about it, but to make matters worse, Ray could feel every emotion Scott had. Last night had tore him up, and he was worse off than he was letting on. A deep sense of guilt and devastation radiated off the boy, making it hard for Ray to be near him. It was as if his emotions were clouding over her own. Sitting up front kept those strong feelings of guilt at bay, and Ray needed all the protection from other people’s emotions she could get since her own were just as bad.

After the events of last night, she felt like the shittiest friend in the world.

“We need to get him more bandages or-or something,” Ray told Stiles.

Stiles’s knee bounced nervously as he looked around the bus, saying, “I know, I know. Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”

And while Ray really wanted to believe Stiles would figure it out, she knew he didn’t have all the answers. Luckily, they knew a few people who did know a thing or two about the supernatural.

“Scott, you try calling Deaton and I’ll see if I can get my dad to pick up. Maybe he knows why I’m not able to heal you.”

Scott and Stiles exchanged a surprised look before Scott said, “You sure you wanna call your dad?”

Ever since Ray was a kid, she never spoke too fondly of her father. Part of it was lack of connection since he only saw his kids for a couple of weeks twice a year. Most of it was resentment because he spent those weeks drunk off his ass. During this last trip he had been. . . Better. It was clear he felt closer to his kids now that they knew his big secret, but he still spent the majority of their two months with him with a clear glass bottle in his hand.

Still, he was Ray’s only direct source for sea nymph related questions. Deaton seemed more experienced with werewolves rather than her kind.

“I doubt he’d even question why I’m asking,” Ray said as she searched for his contact.

Meanwhile, Stiles was trying to convince Finstock to let the bus pull over at the next rest stop. His efforts weren’t successful. Coach had spent the bus trip yelling at various students, one of the main ones being Jared whose car sickness was getting worse even though the bus had been stopped for ten minutes.

Stiles was one of the only students to dare yell back at the coach. But the boy’s yelling didn’t do much to help his case. Instead, it encouraged Finstock to dig his heels in the sand and refuse any sort of detour. Their coach seemed to enjoy yelling back at the boy.

“We’re not gonna stop,” Finstock insisted.

“Okay,” Stiles tried remaining calm, but the annoyance in his voice was hard to mask, “-but if we stop-“

“Stilinski! Shut it! Seriously! It's a little bus! Stop asking me questions!”

Ray snorted and tried to hide her grin, earring a deadly glare from Stiles.

“I hate him,” Stiles grumbled under his breath. He ignored Ray who was still laughing at his expense and asked Scott, “Did you call Deaton?”

Scott sighed. “I keep getting his voicemail.”

“What about you?” Stiles asked the girl. His eyes landed on her lips instead of meeting her gaze.

“Straight to voicemail. I think his phone’s off.” Her lips turned into a small pout. She hadn’t really expected her dad to pick up, but part of her still hoped he would see her name light up on his phone and he’d want to answer. She could really use some advice right now. Scott’s blood was starting to stain his shirt with black blood that looked eerily similar to that black blood that had been oozing out of Derek’s arm when Kate had his him with the wolfsbane bullet. That day, Derek had said if the infection reached his heart, he would die. He had even resorted to almost cutting off his arm.

Stiles’s eyes flickered from the girl’s frown to Scott’s black-stained shirt. “That's it. I'm calling Lydia and Allison.”

“How are they gonna help, back in Beacon Hills?” Scott asked.

“They're not. They've been following us for hours.” Stiles looked over his shoulder out the back window of the bus and muttered, “Pathetic.”

“It’s sweet,” Ray disagreed. While she didn’t exactly love Allison at the moment, she was thankful that Allison cared about Scott enough to follow the bus to a cross country meet five hours away.

After getting Lydia to put him on speakerphone, Stiles started explaining, “Okay, look, Scott's still hurt.”

“What do you mean still?” Allison asked. “Ray didn’t heal him?”

Seeing how those words tore down Ray’s hopeful smile made Stiles take his phone off speaker and bring it to his ear. That way, Ray wouldn’t be able to hear if the girls asked anything else about the healing.

“She healed the others, but Scott’s wouldn’t heal, and I think. . I think he's actually getting worse. The blood's turning, like, a black color.” After a couple of seconds, Stiles rolled his eyes and said, “What's wrong with him? I don't... do I have a Ph.D. in lycanthropy? How am I supposed to know that?”

Ray silently stood up and climbed over Stiles to walk back to the front of the bus, not wanting to hear either end of that phone conversation. Of course, just when Ray was starting to warm up to Allison again, the hunter goes and accuses her of not healing Scott. As if Ray wouldn’t heal her own best friend if she could.

Back at the front of the bus, Ray was uncharacteristically quiet as she scrolled through a playlist on her iPod. At first, Isaac made a joke about her crawling back to them, but his joke wasn’t met with laughter or even acknowledgment.

The blonde boy frowned and said, “Ray, did they say something to you?”

“No. I’m just not in the mood to chat,” the girl said honestly.

Boyd leaned forward in his seat to ask, “Is this about what Cora said?”

_Last night, Ray had been healing up Boyd when the beta said to her, “It was for the best that you didn’t go. Those people they. . They wouldn’t have hesitated with you.”_

_And before Ray could even disagree and say should have been there, Cora was firing off._

_“What were you even doing? What was more important than helping us? Cheer practice? Studying to make sure your perfect grades stay perfect?”_

_Stiles narrowed his eyes at the younger Hale and couldn’t help how quick he was to come to Ray’s defense, “Hey, she didn’t know.”_

_“Actually, she did know!” Cora told him. “Scott messaged her while we were planning all this!” Cora stepped closer to Ray to ask, “So what was it that was more important than helping my brother?”_

_From all the healing and emotions in the room, Ray was starting to feel tired and lightheaded. She didn’t have an answer for Cora, at least, not one that Cora wanted to hear. Not one that would bring her brother back._

_It hadn’t even been a week since Ray promised Stiles she would be more careful. It was hard finding middle ground all the time. She couldn’t keep everyone happy with her no matter how hard she tried. Everyone wanted different things from her, and she thought choosing Stiles would just make everything easier. Now her friends were bloodied and beaten nearly to a pulp. Scott wasn’t healing. Derek was. ._

_Derek was gone._

_Could she have done something to prevent that? She couldn’t even take on Boyd and Cora with Scott and Derek without getting hurt. Why would she have been an asset in stopping and Alpha pack from getting their way?_

Ray looked out the window at the darkening clouds. Maybe there really would be a tornado, though, those were rare in California. Most likely it would just be a thunderstorm that caused a forest fire. Those happened at the end of every summer in this area of the state.

“Look, we know you would have been there if we had called you,” Isaac told her.

But would she have? Stiles would have been disappointed in her if she left his house right after they said those three little words just to run off and battle werewolves. If Scott had called her for help, would she have gone, or would she have stayed in with Stiles?

Ray looked over her shoulder to the boy in question. Finstock was blowing his whistle in Stiles’s face every time the boy tried to speak. His face scrunched in frustration at his coach.

It was hard for Ray to know what she would have done if Scott had called her for help. Maybe she would have gone to help Scott. Even if the outcome had been the same, at least she could tell herself she tried. Knowing she could have done something is what had been eating her alive all night long.

“Get back to your seat, Stilinski!” Finstock yelled.

“Okay!” Stiles’s glanced towards the front of the bus at Ray, catching her stare. He turned back to his seat, not able to bear the defeated look in her eyes for too long.

Their coach went on, “Jared, keep your eyes on the horizon.”

Stiles paused on his walk back and looks over to Jared. His eyes flickered over to Ray who was shaking her head no at him.

“What’s he doing?” Boyd asked hesitantly as Stiles sat down next to the car sick boy.

“Open your window,” Ray said begrudgingly.

Black blood was starting to drip off of Scott’s undershirt as Stiles helped him off the bus. Though Stiles was able to manage Scott’s weight on his own, Scott’s ability to hold himself up was dwindling by the second. Color had drained from his tan skin, making him look dull next to the bright red of Stiles’s hoodie.

Ray wrapped Scott’s other arm over her shoulder. Isaac and Boyd stepped up to take her and Stiles’s places, but Ray shook her head no, insisting, “You guys stall Coach so that he doesn’t come looking for us.”

Allison and Lydia came running up at that moment, looking frantic now that they’ve finally seen just how bad of a state Scott was in.

“You weren’t able to heal him?” Allison asked.

Her concern for Scott had come across as chastising to the sea nymph whose emotions were already all over the place from everyone else. Ray gritted her teeth together as she and Stiles rested Scott against a dirty tile wall in the restroom.

“No, Allison, actually I just decided to not heal my best friend,” Ray said bitterly.

Lydia and Stiles both flinched at Ray’s harsh tone, not used to hearing her talk to people like that often, or ever. Allison’s eyes narrowed, never one to back down from being yelled at. Lydia noticed how Allison squared her shoulders and stepped between the two girls to prevent further arguing. They didn’t have time for that.

“But you were able to heal the other two,” Lydia pointed out, “So maybe. . Maybe it was something on Scott’s end messing things up.”

That was an interesting take that had Stiles asking a follow-up question, “Like- Scott’s somehow refusing the help?”

“That’s why he’s not healing himself, either,” Allison whispered.

“You know, it could be psychological,” Lydia said.

“What do you mean, like, psychosomatic?” Stiles asked.

“Somatoformic.”

“Som-“

“A physical illness from a psychogenic cause,” Lydia state’s as if she was reading it straight from a dictionary. “Yes, it's all in his head.”

“All in his head? Because of Derek. He's not letting himself heal 'cause Derek died.” Stiles’s eyes flickered to Ray to see how she was taking in all this information. Her focus was locked on the dark bloodstain on Scott’s side.

Allison nervously glanced at Scott and asked, “So what do we do?”

Lydia pulled a sewing kit out of her purse and answered, “Stitch him up.” The small kit jingled as she handed it to Ray. “You took a first aid class, right?”

Ray instantly went light-headed. “They. . They mostly focused on CPR. I- I don’t know anything about. . .” When she was really little, her abuela used to stitch the holes in her clothes, but she never taught Ray.

“I can do it,” Allison said as she took the kit from Ray.

Though, Ray’s hand wasn’t free for long. Stiles quick led skill his hand into hers and squeezed. This wasn’t an attempt to make her feel better, it was just him trying to ground himself as Allison opened the kit and took out a needle.

“He's gonna need another shirt,” Allison asked, “Where's his bag?”

“Um, I'm gonna get it!” Stiles said quickly, his hand slipping from Ray’s now that the other girls had their eyes on him. “I hate needles anyway, so. . .uh- Do you know what you're doing?”

“Yeah, my father taught me.”

“I mean, how fast are you gonna- I mean, the bus, like- the bus could leave.”

“Well, you just make sure it doesn't leave,” Allison told him.

“Ray,” Stiles said softly, “wanna come with me?”

He was giving her an out, knowing that seeing Scott like that was tearing her up inside. She shook her head yes and followed the boy out, leaving Lydia to help Allison.

“Okay,” Stiles said, clapping his hands together. “I’ll run and grab his bag. You make sure Coach doesn’t leave.”

“Why do you get the easy job!?” Ray asked as Stiles ran off.

On her quest to find Coach, she ended up finding her stepbrother instead. Danny was leaning against a tree and staring down at his phone. He didn’t look happy to see Ray approaching him.

“Here to explain why your boyfriend blew up my phone earlier?” Danny asked.

“Speaking of boyfriends,” Ray said, deflecting the conversation, “What’s up with you and Ethan?”

“Nothing’s up,” Danny insisted.

“So you sat with him on the bus because you two barely know each other?”

“Why are you so concerned? Because he’s a werewolf?”

Ray’s eyes went wide. “Did he tell you that?”

“No,” Danny said shortly. “No one fucking tells me anything. I figured it out at practice last week.”

No one was watching them, but Ray knew that didn’t mean no one was listening. She whispered, “You don’t know the full story.”

“So tell me.”

“I-I can’t. Not here. We’ll talk at home.”

“Bullshit,” Danny mumbled, walking off.

“Danny!” Ray called after him. The boy turned around to look at her but ended up looking at something behind her. A crowd was forming around three boys. Ethan’s jaw tightened as he looked up at the taller boy in front of him. Vernon Boyd glared down at the Alpha, imagining all the things he would do if a crowd of their peers wasn’t forming around them. Isaac had a hand on Boyd’s chest, whispering to him in hopes of keeping him calm.

Danny and Ray jogged up and pushed through the crowd together. The closer Ray got to the center, the more she could feel Boyd’s anger weigh her down. Just as they got to the front, Ethan said something through his hateful sneer, something that shocked Isaac enough to let go of his friend. The calm he was managing to hold together suddenly crumbling underneath him.

“For your sake, I hope Hale stays dead.”

Isaac’s blue eyes flickered a chilling gold for a split second before his fist formed and swung around, smacking Ethan square across his jaw. A few people in the crowd let out a surprised scream. A second punch flew through the air. A deafening crack sent chills through Danny. He felt helpless, stuck frozen in shock as the other students cheered over Ethan being hit. Some even got out their phones to film.

“Stop,” Danny whispered. His own voice seemed to pull him out of his shock. He shook his head then yelled, “Hey! Stop!” Before he could reach out to shove Isaac off, his stepsister was holding him back.

“Careful,” she reminded him. The word should have felt like a simple warning from his sister, but the darkness in her tone eluded to something more sinister. Ray didn’t want Danny to intervene and stop the fight. Even though there was something going on between the twins and Ray’s friends, Danny would have never thought his sister would encourage something like this.

“The hell, Ray? You’re just gonna let this happen?”

Stiles showed up, putting his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “He kind of deserves it.”

“Shut the hell up, Stilinski,” Danny said, shoving the boy’s hand off then pushing his chest for good measure.

Stiles put his hands up to show surrender but quickly had to use them to hold Ray back from shoving her stepbrother. Surprising both Stiles and Danny, Ray struggled to get free from the boy’s hold, acting like she still wanted to shove her own brother. Tension was getting worse amount the crowd, too. Ethan was on the ground now, receiving hit and hit from Isaac who seemed to be seeing red. Boyd wasn’t doing anything to stop it no one was.

“Hey, hey hey!” Coach yelled, finally making it to the scene, pushing between the siblings and assuming it was them the crowd had formed around. He was liberally blowing his whistle in hopes of grabbing attention away from the fight. “Break it up! Break it- Lahey! Get the hell off him!”

No one noticed the darkening sky or the sudden wind causing goosebumps on their skin. The only one who could take their eyes off of Isaac’s fist colliding with Ethan’s jawline was Stiles Stilinski whose focus was on the blue light crackling against his girlfriend’s fingertips. His hands cupped her cheeks, forcing her harsh gaze to turn to his honey eyes that were filled with worry that someone else might see her like this.

“Hey, Ray, maybe you should uh-count or something because-“ Stiles squinted as he looked above them, “-you know, the weatherman didn’t predict this kind of storm, so maybe. . If you could uh, stop that.”

“Lahey!” Coach screamed in between whistle blows. Thunder boomed overhead, causing some of the students to flinch, Stiles among them. As he pulled Ray further from the crowd, the clouds seemed to separate, allowing some light to shine through.

“Okay, this seems to be working,” Stiles mumbled as he squared Ray’s shoulders, facing her away from the fight. “Feeling better?”

“I want him dead,” Ray said through clenched teeth.

“No, you don’t, Ray. I don’t believe that.”

The sky cleared slightly. Ray looked over her shoulder in fear. “You’re right. I don’t, but they do.”

“Isaac!” Scott yelled, nearly falling over from how loud he had to make himself.

Isaac finally drew back his hand and stood up, his shoulder slouched forward like he knew he was in trouble.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Ray asked Stiles.

“Because I’ve seen someone control Isaac like that before,” Stiles admitted. “On his first full moon, Derek yelled out his name. . .”

“Okay? And?. .” It didn’t seem unlike Derek to yell, so Ray wasn’t fully understanding what had Stiles so shaken about the memory.

“It’s something Alphas do.”

How was their best friend able to control Isaac the same way an Alpha could?

Back on the bus, the group was trying to focus on solving some of their other problems.

“So we got Alpha werewolves against a dark Druid,” Stiles stated.

“Looks like it,” Lydia mused as she sat forward in her seat. The redhead pulled a pair of earphones out of her purse to drown out the sounds of the bus.

Ray glanced over her shoulder at Allison and Scott. They seemed lost in their own conversation and distracted by. . Whatever was going on between them again. Or not going on. Allison had been pretty vague about what she wanted with Scott, though, she did follow them the whole way here and insist on not leaving him even after stitching him up. That had to mean something.

And despite their differences, Ray was thankful to have Allison around. She stitched up Scotty, and now he was healing on his own. That was more than Ray was able to accomplish.

Stiles stole Lydia’s idea and pulled out a pair of earphones. Without asking, he just stuck one in Ray’s ear, forcing her to listen to his Epic Road Trip playlist which consisted of no music from their generation since he usually played it on trips with his dad. He started tapping away on his iPad, going through the SAT words again while mouthing the lyrics to the Guns N’ Roses song he had playing way too loud through the earphones. A small smile formed on Ray’s lips as she watched him. She couldn’t help but slip her hand in his, making it hard for him to scroll through the words on the screen, but he still managed.

“Did you want to study anything specific?” Stiles asked before looking up and realizing Ray had been staring at him. “What? Do I have peanut butter on my face again?”

“Surprisingly, no. Just your usual amount of freckles.”

The boy smiled and laughed bashfully. “Ah ha. Okay then. So you haven’t been studying at all this whole time then.”

“I’ve been studying, just not the SAT words.”

“Okay you-,” he stuttered as she swiped her thumb over the back of his hand, “-You, ah, quit that.”

Ray removed her hand. The smirk on her face and her playful tone did not match her words, “Sorry, I’ll stop. Let’s study.” Her hand landed on his thigh while the other reached over to scroll to the next word. “Entrenched: firmly established. . . I like it better when you read it to me and I have to guess.”

Stiles cleared his throat and held his iPad up in front of his face, probably trying to focus on it instead of his girlfriend’s hand rubbing circles on his thigh. “Right-okay, uh. . Next word, next word. Enumerate.”

“To. . Count?” Ray guessed.

“To specify the number of,” Stiles read off the screen.

“So, to count.”

“Yes, to count.”

“Wonder how long it would take to enumerate your cute moles.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but my cute moles are interminable- seeming to never end. Continuous, permanence, unremitting. And, I think you are using enumerate wrong.”

“Maybe your definition of enumerate is wrong.”

“This is from the official guide of the College Board,” Stiles deadpanned.

“And? So? Who gives them the right to make up definitions?”

“The six- _thousand_ schools across the country that participate?”

“Do you two ever stop bickering?” Allison asked from behind them.

“Sometimes,” Ray said at the same time Stiles grumbled, “No.”

“What do you mean, no?” Ray said, sounding offended.

“Oh, no,” Scott mumbled to himself. He gave Allison a disappointed look as if to say, _Why the hell did you say anything?_

“It’s a widely known fact that you and I are constantly at each other’s throats,” Stiles said with a mischievous glint in his eyes at the end.

Ray could feel a warm blush flowing to her cheeks, completely catching onto his double meaning. The quick nervous tug at her hoodie strings to hide more of her neck let the boy next to her know exactly what his words reminded her of, the small bruises at the bottom of her neck and collarbone from sharing a bed the night before. At the time, the late-night make out session seemed like a good idea, but by morning she discovered how limited her clothing options were for the next day.

“Oh yeah,” Ray agreed, “You know us. . Sworn enemies.”

“Lovebirds,” Lydia chimed in with a teasing tone.

“Uh, yeah, fat chance of that,” Ray said, barely holding back her smile.

“Never in a million years,” Stiles said, holding back the same foolish grin.

“Improbable.”

“Inconceivable.”

“Preposterous.”

“Fanciful.”

“Oh, nice one!”

“Well, I do have help,” Stiles said as he gestured to the iPad in his hands.

“Cheater.”

Stiles didn’t need his iPad to know synonyms for that, “Trickster.”

“Swindler,” Ray fired back.

“Guys,” Scott called, getting their attention, “Like Coach said, it’s a little bus.”

“Wanna use my headphones, Scotty?” Ray offered them up to the boy which he took gratefully.

“You don’t need them?” His voice dropped off at the end, eyes landing on the headphone in her ear the followed the cord that led to Stiles. The corners of his mouth turned up, causing Ray’s heartbeat to rise.

He knows.

“No, I’m good,” Ray said quickly.

All the sneaking around, secret nights together, how careful they were with leaving Stiles’s jeep in the alley the night before. . . All the places they could have slipped up. . It was a headphone that gave them away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to keep this chapter with the same flashback style the episode had.  
> Hope you guys are having a good week!  
> If you're reading this at 5am... go to bed!


	30. 201

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !Warning! This chapter is for season 3 episode 6, Motel California. It deals with darker themes, the main one being suicidal thoughts.  
> You've seen the episode. Please look out for yourself and skip this chapter if you need to.

Scott came off the bus first from the group of three, saying, “I've seen worse.”

“Where have you seen worse?” Stiles grumbled from behind Ray. His hand ghosted over her back for a second before remembering he couldn’t be touching her like that.

“Remember that one time our families went to Six Flags?” Scott asked.

Ray grimaced then clarified, “When they found that dead body in the dumpster behind the motel?”

Stiles shivered and shook his head to get the image out of it. “I think I blocked that out until now. . So thanks for that!” He swung his arm around Ray’s shoulder then roughed up her hair. She shoved him off, smiling while doing so. Scott’s eyes squinted at the two. They weren’t acting out of the ordinary, he supposed, but they also hadn’t needed him to stand in the middle of them to cool down a fight recently. Them getting along was. . suspicious.

“Listen up!” Finstock yelled as soon as everyone was off the bus. “The meet's been pushed till tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up!” He held up a pile of room keys. Students started lining up to grab one. “Choose wisely- And! I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves!” Stiles reached for a room key, but Coach held it just out of his reach then added, “Stilinski, Nerine, you two are not allowed in the same room, in fact, I want you two on opposite ends of the motel. Got that?”

“Don’t worry, Coach,” Scott said, taking the key, “I’ll make sure it’s just me and Stiles sharing a bed tonight.”

Finstock froze for a second before saying, “There’s two beds in each room, McCall, but if you and Stilinski insist on sharing one, that’s your business and I don’t wanna hear about it.”

“Ray,” Lydia called out, “Wanna share with us?”

Allison was looking at Ray with wide, hopeful eyes. The two girls seemed to be on the path back to friendship, at least, that’s how Ray was feeling. Scott’s well-being clearly meant a lot to both girls. It seemed silly to be at odds when both really just wanted the same thing: for Scott to be okay. Word had got around that Allison even helped trap Boyd and Cora in the school on the full moon. She was still helping her friends, even though things were rocky between everyone.

Ray smiled brightly then linked arms with Lydia. “Yes. Thank you for not making me share with any of the boys.”

“It just makes sense, you know? Ali and I can share a bed, or you and I can share a bed, or we could all share-“

“This is starting to sound like that threesome dream you were telling me about,” Allison joked, her dimples showing.

“Well,” Lydia said, moving her hair over her shoulder. “Never say never.”

“Never,” Allison said at the same time Ray said, “True.”

Lydia and Allison stared at Ray in shock. The mermaid quickly added, “I mean- ha- never.”

As soon as Allison unlocked the door, a wave of nicotine and tobacco gushed out of the room. Ray’s stomach churned as her sneakers stepped onto the rock hard carpet. There was an odd, green discoloration in the carpet near the entrance. A faded sign hung above the window, reading, **Smoke-Free Room**.

Ray highly doubted that was true. Everything looked like it had a layer of dust on it, reminding her of an ash tray. She didn’t even want to put her gym bag on the bed. Her hand instinctively clutched tightly on the shoulder strap and wondered where the hell she was going to sleep because she was pretty sure the holes in the pillowcases were from mice.

Out of the three girls, Lydia seemed the most frightened as she walked over the threshold. She scanned the room hesitantly, as if something was going to pop out from under the bed.

“Lydia?” Allison asked, “You okay?”

“I don't like this place,” Lydia proclaimed.

“I don't think the people who own this place like this place. It's just for a night.”

“A lot can happen in one night.”

“Well, a lot is going to happen because I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping. . Or even sitting down for that matter,” Ray stated. She sent Stiles a quick text, asking if his room was any cleaner than theirs. Maybe she could hang out there for a while.

“Let’s try to make it less frightening in here,” Allison said. She flicked on the TV then reached to turn on the bedside lamp and screamed. Lydia and Ray clutched onto each other for support. Allison blushed and said, “Sorry, sorry. Just a spider web.”

“What if there are spiders in the sheets?” Ray whispered.

“Please stop talking,” Lydia begged.

The girls finally started to settle into the room after that. They were chatting about their theories on the Darach for a bit until Allison brought up how weird it was that Ms. Morell was at the bank the night of the full moon. It had never been more obvious to Ray that she made a good decision not choosing to take French that year.

“You two should switch to Art,” Ray told the girls.

“But French is an easy A for me,” Lydia said.

“Everything’s an easy A for you,” Allison added.

Lydia faked a gasp and asked, “Why? Because I’m sexually active?”

Even though Lydia was clearly joking, Allison was still deeply embarrassed. “Lydia! No! Oh my god.”

Ray took a moment to check her phone. She had a million texts from Stiles. Their room wasn’t any better, and it must have been just as boring since he was texting her so much.

_Wanna come watch movies? I’ll protect you from the spiders._

_Platonically, of course ;)_

_I got snacks from the vending machine!_

Ray smiled and texted him back, _hmm...maybe I would say yes if it wasn’t platonic_

Stiles was quick to respond, _Meet me on the East side of the building and we can be un-platonic really quick before the movie?_

“I’m going to shower,” Allison announced.

“Is that an invitation or-“ A pillow was thrown at Lydia’s face. “-So that’s a no?”

There was a distinct locking sound on the bathroom door. Ray laughed at Lydia’s fake pout then said, “And I’m going to check on Scotty.”

“You’re leaving me too?” Lydia whined. “I don’t wanna hang out in this gross place alone!”

“Allison is just on the other side of that door. You’ll be fine.”

Allison poked her head out of the bathroom and said, “These towels smell like they were used to wipe the floors at a cigarette factory. Lyds, will you see if there is a maid’s cart somewhere with fresh ones?”

Ray slipped out the door just as Lydia was grabbing the old towels and mumbling, “Oh, this is absolutely disgusting.”

It was chillier outside than Ray had anticipated. Her freezing hands shoved into her hoodie pocket as she hurried down the staircase. After a quick check around to make sure no one was outside watching her, she rounded the corner of the building. The only lighting was coming from the moon and motel windows on the second floor.The boy leaning against the wall was on his phone, probably researching something he couldn’t get off his mind. The way his phone light casted shadows on his face reminded Ray of the night before.

_He was biting his nails as he paced her room. The moonlight from her window was the only thing bringing light to his features, making his lashes cast a long shadow across his cheeks. They had never spent the night together before, or at least, not alone like this and never without Scott. Now they were doing this without Scott even knowing._

_The tears on her cheeks that had convinced him to stay had long been showered off. There was no longer blood from their friends on her hands, and she wasn’t shaking from crying. Did she still need him to stay? Stiles didn’t want to be alone either, but staying also felt wrong. He wanted to stay the night with her, of course, but not like this. This felt forced._

_Sometimes he had to remind himself that he was her friend first, before all the thoughts and feelings he had been having since last summer. If they weren’t in this weird dating limbo, and they were just friends, Stiles wouldn’t hesitate to climb up the tree between her and Scott’s house and sleep on her floor if she asked._

_But they were in that weird, secret relationship. And there was multiple threats making them both not think clearly. For instance, her joke a while back about having sex to prevent themselves from being killed by the Darach. Did Stiles want to finally go there? Of course, but he didn’t want it to be like this, using it as a distraction from their harsh reality. Ray deserves more than just, 'We might die, let’s have sex.'_

_“You don’t want to stay,” Ray concluded from all his pacing._

_“No- no, I do. I do want to stay. I just- um. I don’t want to- I don’t think we should-“_

_“Have sex?” She finished for him._

_“Pft- what? Sex? Who said anything about sex. Not me- I didn’t say it, sex. Nope.”_

_Ray looked down at her hands and admitted, “Good, because I don’t want to have sex either.”_

_“Right! No yeah. Sex? Totally off the table. Just sleeping. . .”_

_“Well,” Ray couldn’t help but smile, “Maybe once things get slightly more normal, we could-“_

_“Have sex?” He finished for her._

_“Just not tonight,” Ray said quickly._

_“So like- tomorrow night?” The boy asked with a cheesy grin, obviously joking._

_“Oh my god.” Ray ducked under her covers to hide her blushing face._

_“Is that a yes on tomorrow?”_

_“I highly doubt things will be normal by tomorrow,” Ray deadpanned. She peaked out from under the blankets. Big mistake because Stiles was still smiling at her which only made her heart race more. She quickly came up with another excuse, “Besides, we have that track meet tomorrow.”_

_“The. . . next night?”_

_“Hurry up and get in bed, Stilinski. We are probably going to hate ourselves in the morning. It’s already late.” Her hand reached out to tug him to the bed. He finally took the hint and got on it, still nervous to get under the covers. The girl rolled her eyes and helped him under the blankets._

_After that the two teens were stiffly laying side by side, careful not to touch one another. Suddenly, Stiles turned on his side to face her._

_“What about Thursday? You got Thursday night free? My dad will be working late that night.”_

_“Stiles, you can’t put sex on a schedule,” Ray chastised. She turned to face him and said, “But I am free on Thursday after cheer.” Her hand moved to play with his hair. She couldn’t help herself. His eyes closed as he hummed, loving the feeling._

_“I might actually be able to fall asleep if you keep doing that.”_

_“Come here then,” Ray offered, patting her chest for him to lie on._

_The boy was hesitant to lay on her, but as soon as he did, her hand went back to playing with his hair and his body felt like it was melting into the mattress. He held onto her hip like he did with his pillow at home. For the first time in a long time, Stiles was able to fall asleep without that pillow. Meanwhile, his girlfriend was struggling to fall asleep because of the goosebumps on her side where Stiles was holding her._

In real time, Stiles nearly dropped his phone when his girlfriend snuck up and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth. She giggled at his jitters and continued to leave little kisses along his jaw.

“Well, hello to you too,” Stiles said, slipping his phone into his pocket so that he could put his hands elsewhere.

Their quick kiss quickly turned into something else entirely. At first, Ray felt like Stiles couldn’t possibly get close enough until something came over her and she had to pull away to giggle.

Stiles quickly moved his hands off her side while asking, “I’m sorry, are you ticklish?”

“No,” she managed out through her laughs, “You just-you taste like peanut butter and chocolate.”

“Sorry, sorry-“

“It’s okay. You taste like peanut butter at least like. . 60 percent of the times we kiss. I just don’t know how you managed to find a Reese’s this time.”

Stiles ran a hand through his hair nervously and admitted, “So, I may or may not have stolen some snacks for movie night from the vending machine.” His blush made Ray want to kiss his cheeks, but she tried to stay focused. Just because he was cute didn’t mean she was just going to let a statement like that slide.

“You stole?”

“Hey, Boyd’s the one who broke it, not me.”

“ROTC leader, Eagle Scout, art connoisseur, literal moral compass, _Vernon Boyd_ broke a vending machine?”

“Yeah, I thought it was weird too, but I didn’t question it because, I mean, free stuff. .”

“Not free,” Ray said sternly, “Stolen.”

“Technically?” Stiles tried.

“Not technically! Factually! But what I really want to know is-“ she grabbed his hoodie at his hips and pulled him close again, “-did you steal enough for me and Scotty too?”

“Are you aiding and abetting?”

A gentle kiss was placed below his ear before she whispered, “Why? You gonna cuff me?” The boy whimpered as she started to kiss his neck. She pulled at the neckline of his shirt to expose a small bruise she had left on his collarbone that morning, one matching the much higher up one she had been coving on her own neck. When her tongue grazed over the area, Stiles squeezed her hips hard like she was the only thing holding him up.

“That’s it-,” he panted, “-I’m telling Scott to sleep with Isaac and Boyd.”

Ray laughed against his skin then pulled away. “Scotty would know what was up instantly if you told him to trade rooms.”

“Maybe it’s time we tell him.”

“Tell him and then kick him out of his motel room so that we can have sex? Yeah, that won’t go over well.”

Stiles whined. “So no sex?”

“Not tonight!” Ray kissed his cheek then walked off. Over her shoulder she called, “Come on, Stilinski! Let’s get back to reality.”

Stiles took a second to adjust his pants before running after her. She took the lead up the rickety metal staircase. One look at her ass had Stiles pouting all over again. He took the stairs two at a time to get ahead of her so that he wasn’t being tortured.

“Is everything a competition with you?” Ray asked with an eye roll.

Getting to the top first wasn’t his goal, but he wasn’t about to admit that. He didn’t sound too convincing, “Yes, yes it is.”

“Well,” Ray said, an evil smile forming on her lips, “Race ya to the room!”

Stiles surprised even himself when he was able to take the lead. The stormy wind of the night felt cool against his skin, keeping him awake and giving him that edge to push farther and win the race. Once he was at the door to his room, he turned back to celebrate his winnings and noticed the girl who was meant to be just behind him was gone.

Down the walkway, Ray had stopped in front of the wrong door. When Stiles backtracked to see what she was staring at, he noticed the goosebumps on her skin.

“You cold?” His gentle touch on her arm made her lean in closer to him, desperate for the comfort.

Ray spoke softly, like she was sleep talking, “Someone here was. . sad. . .devastated.”

The curtains were drawn, but Stiles was certain the lights were off and that room was empty. The school wasn’t staying on this side of the motel, and he hadn’t seen anyone who wasn’t a fellow student since they got there.

“Do you think- maybe someone walked by, or-“ Stiles looked around the motel. No one else was outside of their rooms. The way his girlfriend was silently staring at the door was starting to really freak him out. “Ray?”

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just-their emotions are still there. I think- I think something bad happened.” Her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to work through why she couldn’t shake the feeling away. “Sometimes other people’s really strong emotions have an effect on me, like earlier. Boyd and Isaac were angry at Ethan. Their anger was so strong, I thought it was my own.”

Stiles shivered. “So- so something bad happened in this room? Like death?”

“It’s. . It’s almost like how we were all feeling last night. I think they lost someone too.”

Ray reached out to open the door, but Stiles was quick to stop her, blurting out, “Hey, hey, hey. Whoa- Don’t touch the creepy door! I’m not trying to go ghost hunting tonight. Or any night!”

“You’re right,” Ray said. She smiled weakly at him. “Probably nothing in there anyway. Let’s go set up this movie night.”

As they walked toward the boys’ room, Ray looked back at the door one last time. She wasn’t able to shake away the feeling of loss, but she figured it was so strong because of what her friends had been going through with Derek. For a few moments, she mindlessly shuffled through all the snacks Stiles had stolen from the vending machine. None of them seemed appetizing at the moment. She was probably just still full from the pizza place the bus stopped at before the motel.

Scott was sitting at the edge of his own bed. The two friends hadn’t said much to each other since Ray and Stiles got back. Stiles had done most of the talking, asking what movie they wanted to watch, asking what snacks they wanted, complaining about having to sleep without his pillow. Once he excused himself to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Ray and Scott fell into a dull silence. Not only was Ray still shaken from that room, but Scott’s emotions about what happened the night before were getting to her too.

She wished she had been there to help. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so. . useless.

The dark walls of the motel kind of made the room seem smaller now that the sun had gone down. The yellow lighting of the lamp didn’t do much to brighten the place, or Ray’s mood. The darkness seemed heavy. She walked closer to the lamp, thinking the small source of light would somehow get rid of the weight on her chest. Her eyes focused on the lightbulb and her mind spaced out, no longer paying attention to her surroundings.

“Yo Scotty, you good?” Stiles asked from the bathroom doorway.

Ray and Scott both seemed to shake out of their daze and looked up at Stiles. Scott had a glossy look in his eyes from the flickering motel lights out the window he was standing by.

“What?” Scott asked as he did a double take at the window. His shoulders relaxed before saying, “Yeah man, I’m good.”

“Like that lampshade?” Stiles joked.

Ray cleared her throat and took a guilty step away from the lamp. “Just-admiring the decor. Finstock really knows how to pick ‘em.”

Stiles checked his phone then said, “You know what, I forgot to get drinks at the vending machine.”

With Stiles gone and Scott spacing out, Ray was starting to get bored. Family Feud had been going for three episodes now, and Ray was about to lose it if the channel didn’t change quick. She practically turned the bedding inside out while looking for the TV remote and came up empty handed. Scott was too busy texting someone to notice she was getting frustrated. Her last hope was the nightstand in between the two beds.

Sadly, the nightstand was practically empty, only containing a beat up looking bible. Ray groaned and picked up the book, silently hoping the remote would magically appear underneath it. A small sheet of newspaper fell from one of the pages and into the carpet.

Trash? Lovely.

A small exhale of annoyance escaped through her nose as she picked up the newspaper clipping from the floor. She was about to crumble it up and throw it toward the trash bin when the headline caught her eye.

_**Another Tragedy Strikes the Glen Capri** _

_Friday morning, the body of a 26-year-old woman was found in room 213. . ._

It felt wrong to throw it away now knowing it was the history of the room. Raymona opened the Bible to slip the paper back in. A handful of other newspaper clippings fell out onto her lap.

_**Two Found Dead in Fairvale Motel** _

_**Missing Man From Sacramento Found Dead** _

_**Strange Coincidences or Haunted Motel?** _

The most terrifying part was that all of the articles were about the same room. 213. The one the boys were staying in.

“H-how many. . ? Scott. Scott, you’ve gotta come look at-,” Ray looked up to see Scott’s bed was empty. The only other sign of life in the hotel room was Steve Harvey fake laughing on the TV. The hairs on her arms raised as Ray stood to check the bathroom. “Scotty?”

As soon as she stepped onto the cracking tile floor, it felt like the room went ten degrees colder. Her arms instinctively moved to hug herself to fight off the chills running down her spine. The first thought that popped into her head was to get the hell out of that bathroom, but then her eyes caught something in the mirror.

What little skin was showing through the neckline of her hoodie was littered in green scales. It had been months since Ray wasn’t able to control her shift like this. Her hands shook as she examined them. There were more scales than there was skin at this point.

“The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us,” Ray whispered to herself. The green scales weren’t disappearing no matter how many times she repeated the phrase. Derek Hale’s advice no longer offered her any peace of mind. How could it now that she knew she had done nothing to help him in his dying moments?

She was scared to look at herself in the mirror now, scared of seeing the scales and scared that her eyes might be glowing too. No amount of makeup would be able to cover those. She squeezed them shut and grabbed onto the sink, whispering the phrase as if she said it enough times, it might finally start working again, “The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us.”

“Looks like it does,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

Ray looked up at the mirror in shock. Her mother stood behind her. Sonia’s jaw was tight and her arms were crossed. She was disappointed, but not only that. She was disgusted by the sight of her daughter.

“Mom?”

“Maybe the Calaveras were right. No one can truly control the curse. You can’t trust even those closest to you, even family.”

There was scraping against the tiled floor. A sword, identical to the one Gerard threatened Isaac and Ray with months back, was raised behind the girl. Her mother didn’t hesitate to swing. Raymona screamed and turned around, holding her arms up in defense.

Her mother was gone.

All that could be heard was the family winning on the TV cheering as someone guessed the answer worth the most points. The young sea nymph stumbled out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed to catch her breath. Her chest felt heavy which she knew meant she needed to find something to count quick. The family on the TV was laughing as the gameshow’s host acted surprised at someone’s ridiculous guess. The father was smiling down the row at his wife and kids. The mother was side hugging the youngest sibling who stood in the middle of their line up. They all looked so happy.

Ray’s father didn’t even bother to answer her calls unless it was his court-ordered time to see her. Her mother could never look at her with that bright of a smile. Nothing Ray ever did seemed to be right, which was why Ray kept the supernatural from her for so long. . . And why she was hiding her boyfriend now. And Ray’s brothers? Jayden wanted nothing to do with her at school. He thought she was embarrassing even though Ray did everything she could to be liked by everyone at school. Danny had been giving her the silent treatment for weeks, which she rightfully deserved. He caught her in a million lies, including the last time she had a hallucination at Lydia’s party.

Maybe, like last time, Ray wasn’t the only one. On an impulse, she ran to Danny’s room to see if he knew anything about it all. When he answered the door, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. He gave her a gruff sounding, “What are you doing here?” before realizing there were tears in her eyes.

“It-it happened again. Like at Lydia’s birthday,” she rushed out, not making any sense.

“What happened? Ray, what’s going on?”

“I saw-I saw my mom and- It was so real, like last time, like Lydia’s punch. . .”

Danny went pale. Something had just clicked in his head. “Ethan was acting weird. Everything was fine and then suddenly. . . I think he was seeing things too.”

“You should find him, let him know what’s going on. I’ll see if the others are feeling anything,” Ray said.

Before Danny rushed out of the room, he turned to Ray and said, “Be careful.”

“You too.”

Ray didn’t have to go far. Boyd and Isaac were staying in the room just next door. After a few unanswered knocks, Ray let herself in. Their room was silent as if they were both out. The fuzzy glow of the static on the TV was the only light source in the room except for the light coming from the crack underneath the bathroom door. Either someone was inside or they left the light on. Since two teenage boys were staying in the room, Ray figured it was the latter. Her brothers were constantly leaving lights on and doors open at home. 

Still, she knocked on the bathroom door to see if anyone was inside. No sound came from the other side, but a faint whimper came from behind her. Ray squinted and looked around the dark room, but there was no one there.

“This is ridiculous,” Ray mumbled as she turned on a bedside lamp. As soon as the light flickered on, she heard the whimper again, this time she was much closer to the source. Her voice wavered as she called out, “Hello?”

Suddenly the water turned on full blast in the bathroom. Ray gasped and held a hand over her necklace for comfort. She knocked on the door again, this time, less scared as she yelled over the sound of the bath filling up, “Isaac? Boyd? It’s Ray. Just wondering where the hell everyone is. . You good in there?”

No response again. Ray jiggled the door handle only to find it locked. She huffed in annoyance then said, “I’m just gonna wait out here!” before sitting on the edge of a bed.

This time, the whimper felt like it was right behind her. Her mind kept replaying that headline about the motel being haunted. She had the sudden urge to pick her feet up off the ground, like a monster under the bed was going to grab her ankles. That thought was absurd. To get it out of her head, she decided she was going to look under the bed, proving to herself it was just the hallucinations getting to her.

A pair of blue eyes locked onto Ray. She jumped back and yelped before realizing who it was. “Isaac?”

The blue eyes flashed yellow at her. The boy whimpered when she said his name. His fear was starting to overwhelm her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Then she heard it, his voice, but not aloud, only in her head.

_“Let me out.”_

“You can come out,” Ray whispered to the boy. He shook his head no and scooted back further beneath the bed.

The door to their room swung open, Stiles and Lydia barreling inside. They both went straight to the bathroom door and started banging on it.

“Boyd is taking a bath,” Ray told them.

“No, he’s not,” Stiles said as he rammed his shoulder into the door. Lydia was shaking the door handle as if she didn’t get it open, something terrible was going to happen. Stiles stepped back and said, “Watch out.”

“Stiles, what’s-“ Ray let out a surprised scream as Stiles kicked in the bathroom door.

Water was filled to the brim of the tub, it had even spilled over at some point. Boyd was under the water with the safe from the room on top of him, holding him under. He wasn’t struggling to get the safe off. Stiles tried pulling out the drain, but the water didn’t move.

“He blocked it. He blocked the drain with something. I can't get to it.”

“What do we do?” Lydia asked.

“Here,” Stiles said, putting his arms around the safe., “Help me!”

The three all tried pulling the safe off Boyd, but the box didn’t move an inch. The werewolf’s eyes were open under the water. He didn’t even flinch as the others tried to move the box. Ray’s hand slipping into the water and touched his arm. Devastation shot painfully up her arm and seemed to stab at her chest. She stumbled back, slipping on the wet tiles and landing on her side. Instead of grabbing at her hip where she landed, she clutched her necklace over her heart as if that was where all the pain came from.

 _“It’s my fault,”_ came Boyd’s voice in her head.

“Is he dead?” Lydia whispered, horror-stricken on her face. “How long can a werewolf stay underwater?”

“You think I know that?” Stiles fired back, losing his patience. He pulled Ray off the ground then hissed as his elbow hit the heater on the wall behind them. “Ow! Fuck!. . . Wait a sec, the heater. Heat. . . Ethan came out of it when he touched the heater.”

“What?” Ray said, not following any of that. Though, Lydia seemed to understand.

“It's heat, heat, fire. Heat does it, alright? We need something. . We need fire.”

“He's underwater,” Lydia reminded him.

“Yeah, I'm aware of that!” Stiles ran his hand over his head then grabbed Ray by the shoulders, shaking her, “You!”

“I’m not setting myself on fire!”

“Shock him!”

“Using electricity in the bathtub is like one of the top five ways to die, Stiles! I’ll just kill him faster!”

“Just use-like- a little bit!”

“What if- what if I use too much?”

“Wait, wait,” Lydia spoke up, “The bus. On the bus, they'll have emergency road flares. They have their own oxidizers. They can burn underwater!”

“Are you serious?” Stiles said, running for the door.

“Yes, go!”

Then it was just the two girls standing over Boyd, watching air bubbles come out of his mouth. Every second felt like an hour with Stiles gone. What if he didn’t make it back in time?

A blue light emitted from Ray’s fingertips. Lydia looked at her wildly as the sea nymph stepped toward the tub.

“What if you kill him?” Lydia cried.

“What if Stiles doesn’t make it back in time?! I can’t just-I can’t stand here and watch him die! Not when I could be saving him!”

“Wait, Ray!”

But it was too late, Raymona had dunked her hand into the water and grabbed the werewolf’s shoulder. His eyes lit up a chilling yellow as he bared his teeth. The safe flew up out of the tub, nearly hitting Stiles as he slid back into the room.

“Holy shit,” Stiles mumbled.

After a coughing fit, the three helped Boyd out of the tub. Lydia wrapped a towel around his shoulders. He thanked her then put a firm hand on Ray’s shoulder and nodded at the girl.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said.

“I could have killed you,” Ray told him.

Boyd shook his head no. “You don’t have it in you to kill someone. Besides, electricity keeps werewolves human. You brought me back. Thank you.”

Before Ray could disagree, Stiles cupped her face, saying, “That was awesome!

“You thought of it,” she told him.

“Yeah! And you made it work! And now, I don’t have to use this thing-” Stiles pulled the flare out of his jacket pocket. “-which is great because I don’t even know how to turn it on anyway.”

“Well, figure it out because there is someone else who needs the heat, and he’s too far back for me to reach.” Ray led him to one of the beds and lifted the blanket from the edge.

Boyd’s eyes went wide with concern. “Isaac’s under there?”

“Oh, shit. Okay, I’ll- uh,” Stiles fumbled around with the flare, trying to find instructions to read.

Lydia huffed in annoyance then said, “The cap, it's like a match.”

“Really? Okay! That’s-Ooh!” The flare lit up with a purple and red flame. He knelt on the carpet and held it under the bed, “Hey, Isaac. Got something here for you. . .”

By the time the blonde boy was out from his hiding spot, Lydia had given Ray the full rundown on everything that was going on. Ethan, Boyd, and Isaac were taken care of, which meant there was only one supernatural creature left to find.

Scott.

He had been acting so weird in the room. Ray didn’t know how she didn’t catch that.

Allison rushed into the room saying, “I need help finding Scott. He’s not in any of the rooms.”

“He left the room ages ago,” Ray told them, “He could be anywhere by now.”

Stiles and the three girls went outside to split up and find him. As soon as Ray stepped outside, a dark feeling began weighing on her chest. The further from the room she went, the harder it was to breathe. She stopped at the top of the stairs and gripped the railing. Her friends hadn’t noticed her odd behavior, all too worried about finding Scott.

“It's happening to him too, isn't it?” Stiles asked.

“It has to be,” Lydia said.

“We’ll need something to pull him out of it once we find him,” Allison said. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Ray, but the mermaid was still at the top of the stairs, clutching her necklace. Allison ran back up the staircase and threw Ray’s arm over her shoulder to help her walk down.

“Didn't you say there was another flare on the bus?” Lydia asked.

Stiles nodded, “Yeah. I'll get-“ his voice dropped off as he rounded the corner, the parking lot coming into his view.

“Scott. . .,” Allison whispered. Her grip on Ray slipped, forcing both girls to stumble down the last few steps. Luckily, Lydia was standing at the bottom in shock and was able to hold Ray up for Allison to rush around the corner to the parking lot. “Scott!”

The smell alone made Lydia weak at the knees. A giant puddle of gasoline glistened across the parking lot surrounding Scott. The glowing red of the motel sign reflected vividly across its surface. Lydia stopped just before stepping into the puddle and had to hold Ray back from going any further.

A few moments went by, and all that could be heard was the crackling of the flare in Scott’s hands. Its red flame matched the reflection in the gasoline.

“There's no hope.” As Scott spoke, gasoline dripped from his dark curls. His entire body was drenched in the fluid.

Allison spoke softly as if she didn’t want to startle him, “What do you mean, Scott? There's always hope.”

“Not for me. Not for Derek.”

“Derek wasn't your fault. You know Derek wasn't your fault.”

It was Ray’s. Ray knew it was because she hadn’t been there to help her friends. Derek died because she didn’t even try fighting the Alphas. Her right foot took a step forward, landing in the puddle. Lydia held onto the back of the girl’s hoodie, not letting her go any further, but also not wanting to cause a scene that made Scott make any sudden movements.

“Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse,” Scott sounded quiet and out of it, almost like he was daydreaming, “People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed.”

Stiles nervously glanced to Ray for help, but that only made him more anxious. She was staring at Scott with that same vacant stare she had earlier when they came across that haunted room. Other people’s emotions sometimes affected her. Stiles didn’t doubt that she was feeling everything Scott was.

“Scott, listen to me, okay? This isn't you, alright? This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay?” Stiles took a brave step forward, standing next to Ray. She didn’t even notice him, as if she was in some sort of trance.

“What if it isn't? What if it is just me? What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else?”

Scott’s words felt like Ray’s thoughts from the night before were being spoken aloud. If she couldn’t help during the fight, and couldn’t heal others after the fight, why was she needed? Her powers were useless.

The flare in Scott’s hands shook slightly as he started to explain, “It all started that night, the night I got bitten. You remember the way it was before that? You, Ray and me, we were- we were. . .we were nothing. We weren't popular. We weren't good at lacrosse. We weren't important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all.”

Back then, Ray was still human. Her mother wasn’t trying to hide her from the side of their family that killed her kind. There was nothing to lie to her family about, nothing to hide from her best friend.

Another step forward and Ray’s sweater slipped from Lydia’s fingertips. Ray’s sneakers sloshed around in the gasoline, getting it in the bottom of her jeans. She took Scott’s free hand. Another jolt of pain traveled up her arm. A cloud of hopelessness weighed heavy on her chest. Scott’s voice was in her head, saying awful things about himself.

The other two girls stood back from the puddle, petrified. Lydia grabbed onto Allison’s arm to steady herself, asking, “What the hell is she doing?”

Allison whispered to the redhead, “201.”

Lydia put it all together, "They're the three."

Stiles's hands clenched into fists. He was trying to pretend like he hadn’t heard the number, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let it come true. The three of them were getting out of this. Once he convinced Scott of that, Ray would follow. Stiles knew she was just feeding off their best friend’s emotions. If she was in her right mind, she’d be trying to get Scott out of doing this, not joining him.

“Scott, just listen to me, okay? You're not no one. Okay? You're someone, you're. . .Scott, you're my best friend. Okay? And I need you. Scott, you're my brother. Alright, so- so if you're gonna do this, then-,” His hand laid over Scott’s on the flare. “-I think you're just gonna have to take me with you. Alright?” Both his hands encased Scott’s so that he could pull the flare free from the werewolf’s grasp.

The flare went flying across the parking lot, landing out of reach from all the gasoline. There was a moment where they could all take a breath. Scott and Stiles hugged each other. Ray tilted her head in confusion, wondering how she had got to where she was standing. Scott pulled her into a hug next which she melted into despite how he reeked of gasoline. The wind had picked up, so she was thankful for her best friend holding her close. Scott was warm. He was always warm.

“No!” Lydia yelled out.

As Scott was pulling away from her, someone ran into them, knocking them off of the puddle and into the cold, dry gravel. Ray winced as gravel broke the skin on her cheek and her forearms. She had taken most of the fall with Scott on top of her and Allison on top of Scott.

There was a sudden, hot gush of air caused by flames that rose taller than the bus. While most of the teens were groaning from the impact, Lydia was frozen in fear from seeing a slashed up face in the flames. The creature screeched, angry that the plan hadn’t worked. It disappeared as the flames died out.

Steam from the running shower fogged up the chipped mirror. At the sink in just a nicotine scented motel towel, Ray stood shaking from the cold. She had been under the hot water for long enough to nearly melt the skin off her back, but she wasn’t ready to leave the bathroom yet.

Two knocks on the door, followed by Stiles calling out to her, sounding worried, “Uh, Ray? You good in there?”

Her hand swiped across the mirror so that she could see her eyes. For some reason, she feared they would be flowing a bright sea green. They were normal. Human. The only thing out of the ordinary was the little scabs forming on her cheeks from falling on her face in the gravel of the parking lot. She took a deep breath and smiled in hopes of sounding more believable when she yelled back to him.

“Yeah! Just trying to get the smell of gasoline out of my hair.”

There was a beat of silence and then his voice coming through the door again, “You need more shampoo? I can go ask the front-“

“No, thank you Stiles, but I’m- I’m good on shampoo.”

“Okay well, uh-“ Stiles leaned against the door, not really ready to walk away. “Danny said to tell you to call your mom back when you get out.” The water shut off and suddenly the door swung open, causing Stiles to nearly fall over. Luckily, he managed to grab the doorframe to hold himself up. He smiled weakly at the girl who was frightened that he had been standing so close.

She clutched tighter on her towel. Goosebumps littered her skin from the cold air of the room rushing into the bathroom.

“Where’s Lydia and Allison?” Ray asked, surprised that the two girls weren’t cuddled up on the bed and watching TV like they had been when Ray left to shower thirty minutes prior.

“The bus,” Stiles answered quickly, taking two steps back away from Ray and even turning around for good measure. He was trying to seem casual about it, but the way he nervously ran his hand over his hair made it all too obvious that he was feeling anything but casual at that moment. For a million reasons, considering how the night had gone. But the only reason filling up his stupid teenage brain at that moment?

Ray in a towel.

The rough carpet felt disgusting under her feet. Ray almost considered going back into the shower, but she thought she wasted enough water for the night. After all, California was in a drought.

“What are they doing on the bus?” Ray asked before grabbing her bag and disappearing back into the bathroom to change.

Stiles’s shoulders instantly relaxed as the door shut. He was able to form a thought that was Ray in a towel now that she was gone again. “Motel’s sort of haunted, so everyone is sleeping on the bus, or well, everyone in the group, you know, Scotty, Isaac, Boyd, Danny, hell, even Ethan. And the girls-but you knew that. I told you that already.” Stiles cleared his throat and said, “Just waiting on you.”

“Me? Why? They can’t fall asleep without me?”

“Well, sort of. Um- so last night?”

“What about it?”

“I fell asleep without my pillow.”

“Yeah, and you drooled all over my shoulder,” Ray joked as she opened the bathroom door again, this time fully dressed in her track pants and hoodie.

“Okay, first of all, no I didn’t-“

“Oh, you definitely did.”

“Second of all, that’s not the point-“

“But you agree it happened.”

Stiles put his hands on his hips. “I do not acknowledge any accusations of drooling as they are false and built on a ridiculous pretense.”

“Stiles, if you are asking to sleep on my shoulder in front of all our friends, the answer is: are you crazy?”

“Crazy for. . .you?” Stiles tried.

Ray did not look impressed. “And have you thought of the excuse you’re gonna tell Scotty?”

“We can play it off as an accident in the morning! I’ll be all embarrassed, you can pretend to be grossed out-“

“I won’t be pretending if you drool on me again.”

“No again! It never happened the first time!”

“And what am I getting out of letting you sleep on me in front of the entire friend group?” Ray asked as she put her gym bag over her shoulder.

Stiles's eyes went wide. He hadn’t expected Ray to fight this so hard. “Um-me? Keeping you warm?”

Six hours later, the sound of a whistle caused Ray to jump out of her sleep and hit her head on the window next to her. The warmth covering her left side disappeared. She whined and grabbed her head. When she opened her eyes, Coach was glaring right at her.

Stiles slid as far in the seat as he could to get away from Ray. Both teens blushed, causing them to look guilty. Scott raised his eyebrow at Stiles who pretended like he was trying to stretch out his neck in hopes of seeming casual, or at least slightly deflecting from how he had been laying on their friend’s shoulder the whole night.

“I don't want to know,” Coach mumbled.

Ray cleared her throat then tried to explain, “We-“

“Nerine, I really don't want to know, but in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled, so we're heading home. Pack it in. Pack it in!”

As the other students on the team filed onto the bus, Ethan slid in the seat in front of Ray and Stiles so that he could talk with Scott. Stiles and Ray leaned forward on their bench to listen in. Their hands touched as they grabbed onto the back of Scott’s seat. Neither of them seemed to notice.

“I don't know what happened last night, but I'm pretty sure you saved my life.”

“Actually,” Stiles said, drawing Ethan and Scott’s attention to him, “I saved your life, but not that it matters that much. It's just- it's minor detail.”

Scott glanced down at his friends' hands and tried not to think too much of it. It was just their pinkies touching. Ray and Scott held hands sometimes. . . It was normal to be affectionate with friends, right?

Ethan rolled his eyes and went on, “So I'm gonna give you something. We're pretty sure Derek's still alive. But he killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen. Either he joins our pack. . .”

“-and kills his own,” Scott added with disgust.

“Or Kali goes after him, and we kill him. That's the way it works.”

As Ethan stood to join Danny at the back of the bus, Stiles said, “You know, your little code of ethics there is sort of barbaric, just F.Y.I.”

Ray nudged Scott and whispered, “That’s a good thing, right? Derek’s still alive.”

“Yeah, but they might make him kill his own pack which includes Boyd, Isaac, Cora, Peter. . and who knows who else. He’s helped me and you. What if that includes us?”

Lydia suddenly stood up as their coach walked by her. She took the whistle from his neck, then said as an afterthought, “Coach, can I see your whistle for a second?”

“I’m gonna need that back,” Finstock told her before turning to Ethan to ask him something.

“What are you. . .,” Allison whispered as Lydia cupped her hand around the whistle and blew into it. She showed her friend the purple powder in her hand then showed it to the three across the aisle from them.

Her whisper left chills on Ray’s skin, “Wolfsbane.”

Stiles blinked in disbelief. “So every time the coach blew the whistle on the bus, Scott, Ray, Isaac, Boyd. . .”

“-and Ethan,” Lydia added.

“We all inhaled it,” Scott said.

Allison nodded. “You were all poisoned by it.”

“So that's how the Darach got in your heads. That's how he did it.” Stiles looked over at Ray and frowned. The road burn on her cheek would probably take a few days to heal. He reached over her. Ray’s heart fluttered in fear that he was about to just outright hug her in front of their friends. Instead, he yanked open the window then grabbed the whistle from Lydia.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” Coach yelled. He jumped forward in hopes of grabbing his whistle back, but he didn’t make it in time. “Stilinski!”

The bus jolted forward, causing their Coach to have to sit down near the back of the bus. Stiles scratched the back of his neck and mustered the most innocent face he could. Ray’s eyes scanned over his face, lingering over his pouty lips for a moment too long. There was that warm feeling in her chest, it was from the word they had recently said to one another but had to keep secret.

Stiles caught her stare. A beautiful girl staring at his lips, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Or maybe, maybe there was something he could do.

“Hey, Scotty,” Stiles started out, “there’s something you-“

“Hold on,” Scott said, getting up from his spot. “I gotta go tell Isaac and Boyd about Derek. I’m gonna have Boyd message Cora and see if she knows anything.”

As Scott wandered down the aisle, Ray whispered, “Nice try.”

Stiles sighed heavily. “Next time. Next chance we have, we’ll say something.”

“If it Derek being alive isn’t true. . . I don’t know when our next chance will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way I described Scott, Stiles, and Ray as a group of three in the first line of this chapter only to have them be the three in the flare scene later on?... Whatever demon possesses me while I write this fanfic at 1 am is truly poetic.
> 
> Wanna talk Teen Wolf? I do, and I have no one to talk to! Message me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/babyjeep)


	31. Currents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning// Character Death

“That’s a suicide mission if I ever heard one,” Stiles said.

“What? You don’t think I can do it?”

Ray put a hand on the boy’s chest and lightly pushed him until he fell backwards onto his bed. He scrambled until he was resting against the pillows. The way he blushed like they had never done this before only encouraged Ray more. She straddled his waist to keep him in place.

“It’s not that I don’t think you’re not capable,” Stiles said as his hands found her waist. “I just don’t see why it’s necessary.”

“I just want to.”

She took one of his hands from her waist and kissed a freckle that was barely visible below his knuckle.

“If you’re going to be that thorough, we’re going to be here all night.”

She hummed and planted another kiss on his inner wrist. “Maybe I want to do this all night long.”

Stiles was already wiggling beneath her to get some action. She squeezed her thighs together to hold him in place. Her lips found a little mole on the back of his wrist to kiss.

“Stay-,” she spoke in between kisses, “-still. Or. I’ll. Move. Slower.” By the time she made it to his upper arms he was already breathless. “Shirt off.”

Stiles took his shirt off in one quick swoop like he was trying to get in the Geniuses Book of World Record for fastest stripper. His timing had surprised Ray. He used this to his advantage to place a kiss along her neck.

She lightly pushed him back against the pillows. His hair was all wild with static from the shirt that was now hanging from his desk. Ray went back to kissing the moles up his arm then to his shoulder.

“Now the other arm. .,” Ray told him.

He pouted. “What about the ones on my cheek?”

The one by his mouth had always been her favorite one to kiss. The problem was, she didn’t trust him one bit. “I know you’ll turn your head and try to kiss me.”

“I promise I won’t.”

She cupped his face and looked into his eyes. At this point his pupils were so blown that there was only a small ring of gold. She couldn’t tell if he was being mischievous or not, he just seemed so desperate. It pulled on her heart strings enough to give in.

“Okay, but stay still,” she whispered. Just before she reached the mole on his cheek, he turned to kiss her. Ray smiled, but kissed him back. When she pulled away she shook her head in disappointment.

“Not everything has to happen right away, Stiles,” she chastised him.

He planted a light kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry,-“ another kiss on her forehead, “-I know.”

“Fuck it,” Ray mumbled before kissing his lips again. It was him smiling this time, happy he’d gotten to her. His hands trailed up her back so softly it tickled her. In an attempt to get away from his hands, she pushed closer to his chest inadvertently rubbing herself against him. He groaned and lifted his hips to match her movements.

When she broke away to take off her shirt, he said, “Told ya so.”

“This doesn’t mean I won’t be enumerating every one of your moles tonight as promised.” Stiles rolled his eyes at her use of the SAT word. She went on, “It just means I’m taking a break in between to. . kiss other things.” Her shirt was carelessly tossed somewhere in the room. “Trust me, freckles, we’ll get back on track once I get your pants off and see those cute little moles on your thighs.”

A red blush washed over his cheeks, the spitting image of flushed cheeks in a Renaissance painting. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he pouted. Ray thought she could spend eternity mixing paints to replicate his eye color and it would just never be as perfect as the real thing.

“I like when you call me freckles.”

“Good,” Ray said like she was letting out a breath, “It’s cute. It suits you-I love you-How are you so beautiful?”

Stiles laughed and cupped her cheeks. “What has gotten into you today?”

Yesterday’s cancelled cross country meet and the night before that is what had gotten into her. That cursed motel gave everyone a whirlwind of emotions. Because of her abilities, she had felt every ounce of hopelessness that night from everyone. It had come off the heels of losing Derek. All those things mixed together were starting to drown Ray.

“Well, not to be _melodramatic_ -“

Stiles groaned. “Again with the SAT words. I’ve ruined you.”

“Hey, don’t be _petulant_ , I’m about to say something so _unprecedented_ , so _impetuous_ -“

“I don’t even remember learning that one.”

“Yeah I’m actually just throwing things at the wall at this point- so _besotted_ -“ The boy kissed her. She pulled away smiling to finish, “I love you.”

She peppered kisses all over his cheeks while he asked, “That’s your _profound_ reasoning behind all this?”

“That and the other day you said I wouldn’t be able to count your moles, so naturally, I have to prove you wrong.”

“I didn’t realize you have been counting all this time.”

Ray gasped. “Shit. We have to start over.” She took his hand and kissed the mini freckle on his knuckle again. “That’s one.”

“Oh, for the love of-,” Stiles rolled his eyes dramatically. “We are not doing this over again. You had your chance.” He flipped the two over so that he was on top. Stiles wasted no more time and attached his lips to her neck to find that sweet spot below her ear. Once he started sucking, she rolled her hips up against him.

He broke away when her phone started ringing in her jacket pocket across the room. They both knew who it was by the ringtone.

“Just-just let it ring,” she said desperately, pulling him back down to her.

Usually they were always there for Scott the second he needed them, but they hadn’t had much time alone lately. Ray just needed an hour with her boyfriend. After that, she’s go back to the supernatural and human sacrifice filled shitshow Beacon Hills has become.

Stiles must have felt the same because his lips found hers. His hands traveled up her back once again to find the clasp of her bra. As soon as he unhooked it, the phone in his jeans pocket went off.

Ray gasped and rested her head back against his pillow. His hand moved to reach for the phone. The blaring ringtone and vibration setting he chose for Scott was simply too obnoxious to ignore.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll turn it off.”

Her hand held his back. “Wait, let it.” Stiles tried to read the look on his girlfriend’s face. She was biting her lip and avoiding eye contact. The second ring came, causing her to gasp again, “Holy fuck.”

“Y-you’re getting off on Scott’s call?”

She hid her face with her arm out of embarrassment. “Sorry. It just feels-,” the third ring interrupted her, “oh god, Stiles, do you think tonight we can finally-“

“Hold that thought,” Stiles said as he reached for his phone. Ray pouted as her boyfriend reluctantly moved to sit next to her on the bed so he could talk to their best friend. “Hey, Scotty! Sup? Ray? Oh yeah she is here- oh.” Stiles’s hand landed on her knee and squeezed, hard. Not a good sign.

Her heart dropped. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ll be right there,” Stiles said before hanging up. His head hung low and he stood from the bed.

“Stiles?”

“It’s Danny. He’s in the hospital. He’s been poisoned with mistletoe. Ethan brought him in.”

“Oh god.” Ray put her head in her hands. Stiles reclasped her bra for her then rubbed her back comfortingly.

“Hey, he’s gonna be okay.”

“I’m gonna kill Ethan.”

She stood from the bed to start searching for her shirt. Stiles pulled her back to look at him. He cupped her face.

“You think I’m going to let you off the leash to fight some big bad alpha alone?”

“Bring your bat.”

Stiles kissed the top of her head. “Bold of you to assume I don’t just keep one in the jeep at this point. .”

They couldn’t find her shirt so Stiles gave her one of his. It was just plain blue, nothing Scott would pick up on. She threw her jacket on over it to disguise it more. As Stiles drove her to the hospital, she tried to smooth down his hair.

She laughed at her futile attempts and said, “It just keeps getting bigger.”

“Yeah well if you don’t stop touching me it won’t be the only thing getting bigger,” he threatened. Ray squirmed in her seat when his hand rested on her thigh.

“Promise?” She whispered.

“Have you forgotten your stepbrother is in the hospital, you know, Danny? The one who hates me?”

“You started it! And he doesn’t hate you.” She continued playing with his hair, not really having the self control to stop herself. “Actually, he keeps trying to get me to date you. So weird right? You know, cuz we hate each other?”

“Oh, are we back to that again?”

He had to take his hand off her knee to change gears. The jeep slowed into the parking lot of the hospital.

“We will have to be as soon as we walk through those doors,” she told him.

Stiles parked then leaned closer to her. “One more kiss then?”

“Hmm, no.” Ray hoped out of the jeep with a mischievous smile on her face.

Melissa allowed just Ray in to see Danny because there was a one visitor at a time rule for how crazy the hospital was that night. Apparently there had been a ten car pile-up and two doctors missing. Danny’s room had five other beds and just a paper-thin curtain drawn between each. Ray gently took her step brother’s hand. His red shirt had been torn open, and some odd plastic thing was jammed into his chest so that he was able to breathe.

“Oh my god,” she whispered. Her fearful eyes looked up at Melissa for an explanation.

“His lung was collapsing, but he will be just fine now until the doctor gets here.”

Danny mumbled something Ray couldn’t quite understand.

“What was that?” She squeezed his hand then leaned down closer to him to hear him better.

“Your shirt's backward.”

Ray rolled her eyes. “Well yours has a hole in it.” Still she took off her jacket then pulled her arms through the sleeves to turn it around. “We can’t all be-.”

A giant orange Mets logo landed on her chest. Danny’s lungs struggled as he laughed under his breath. Ray looked up at Melissa, petrified.

Her neighbor tapped her pen against the chart she was holding then asked, “You a Mets fan now, Raymona?”

“Uh-y-yes. Yeah. I am. This is my shirt and yup-I’m a fan of the Mets. .”

“Uh huh, right. Did Stiles turn you on to them?”

“Yes, yes Stiles did turn me on- to the Mets! To the team. To liking the Mets.”

“Well I’m gonna go,” Melissa thankfully excused herself.

Ray quickly threw back on her jacket and zipped it up all the way. Her stepbrother put a hand over his chest.

“Please don’t make me laugh,” Danny mumbled, “It hurts.”

“I can’t help that you find my misfortunes funny.”

“So it’s Stiles then? That’s your big secret?”

Between the fresh red spots on her neck and the Mets shirt, there wasn’t really a way of denying it at this point. Ray sat on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands.

“Scotty doesn’t know. We are trying to find the right moment to tell him before everyone else,” Ray explained.

Danny smiled evilly. “Like the song.”

“Huh?”

“ _Scotty Doesn’t Know_.”

“Yeah, that’s what I just said. How is that like a song?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Okay, wow. Big words coming from the guy dating an Alpha werewolf.”

“Says the one dating Stiles Stilinski.”

“I-“

“Danny! Oh my god,” Marcus gushed out as he ran into the room. “What happened? No- don’t say anything. You can explain more when you are feeling better. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you?”

Ray stood up from the bed and mumbled, “I’ gonna-“ before sneaking out of the room to let her stepdad have a moment alone with his son.

Out in the hall, Ray dodged through clusters of people. Someone with a clipboard was running down the hall so fast that Ray barely had time to jump out of the way and in front of a door opening on her right. The woman rushing out of the room uttered an apology. Her voice cut out as soon as she realized who it was.

“Excuse me, I’m so sor- Raymona?”

“M-mom!”

“Mahealani! We need you over here!” A nurse yelled out from down the hall.

Ray tried going the opposite way, but her mother pulled her back, saying, “Nope, you’re coming with me.”

The nurse was kneeling in front of a man who was hunched over in a waiting chair. He was clutching his chest and mumbling the same phrase over and over.

“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe!”

“There wasn’t any sign of major injuries when he came in. Just his wife who-“ the nurse went pale and quickly shut his mouth. At the mention of the wife, the man’s emotions started to become overwhelming. Ray had to take a step back from him to compose herself.

Sonia put her stethoscope on his back and listened to both his lungs. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Both lungs were taking in air, and not sounding out of the ordinary.

“Sir, did something hit your throat during the collision?” Sonia asked.

“He’s having a panic attack,” Ray realized.

The nurse squared the man’s shoulders and said, “Sir, I’m going to need you to take a big breath for me.”

“Count your fingers,” Ray offered.

The nurse gave her an offended look, but held up his fingers and started counting with the man. The trick seemed to be working.

Sonia stood up straight and led her daughter away from the chaos and into a closet stock piled with linens. Before speaking, she took a moment to calm down from everything going on.

“Mel told me about Danny. . ,” she started, trying to contain her emotions. “-and about the mistletoe. I know this isn’t- this isn’t something normal. So you need to tell me right now if things are going on that I should know about.”

Again, Ray found herself not knowing where to begin after keeping so much from her mother for so long. Someone out in the hallway ran past the door. It still sounded like pure chaos out there.

“I know teenagers do things that we can’t-“ Sonia sighed heavily. “Ray, you can’t keep me in the dark like this. I’m- I only want to help. I can’t help you if I don’t know where you are going and what’s happening.”

“Mom, it’s better if you stay out of it! Look at Danny! Look what happens when people get involved. There’s more going on than last time, stuff we haven’t even figure out yet!”

Her mother closed her eyes. She looked so tired. “If I don’t know what’s going on, where you are, or even who you are with half the time. . How can I trust that you’re being safe?”

“I’m-I-“ Ray didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t being safe. None of them were safe. No one in Beacon Hills was safe.

“Please, don’t make me do this. Please, don’t make me the bad guy, Ray.” When her daughter still didn’t fess up, Sonia ran a hand over her messy ponytail and said, “Fine. Fine. Give me your phone.”

“Mom!”

Sonia pointed at the door and yelled, “Your brother is lying in a hospital bed with a shifted larynx, a collapsed lung, mistletoe poisoning, and you can’t even explain any of that to me? So yeah, hand over your phone. I’m going to be driving you back and forth to school, and when your brother is out of the hospital, I’ll be driving his ass too because both of you are done running around and doing shit behind our backs!”

After Ray handed over her phone, Sonia added, “Go straight home, and we will talk more about this when I get off at 11.”

With all that was happening, going straight home wasn’t really an option. Ray wandered through the front doors to find cop cars pulling up. There was an empty car crashed into a parked one. The cops seemed a little excessive for just a fender bender.

Her friends were no where in sight, but her eyes did land on Ethan. Seeing Danny barley able to laugh let alone breathe in that hospital bed only made her more furious at the Alpha. She stormed over to him. Her small hands shoved his shoulder. He barely moved.

“What the fuck did you do to my brother!”

Ethan put his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

She raised her fist, but before she could do anything Scott was right beside her.

“Ray, stop!”

She glared at Ethan then looked to Scott. “You honestly believe he didn’t have anything to do with this?”

“Yes, he already explained himself to me, and I believe him.”

“Seriously?” She crossed her arms. Her eyes landed on Stiles. “You!”

“M-me?” Stiles asked.

“Do you believe he’s innocent?”

Stiles had Ethan, Scott and Ray all glaring at him. Ray was definitely the scariest. “Innocent until proven guilty?”

His statement annoyed Ray, but it was enough for her to give up and calm down. The sheriff was talking with one of his deputies near the crashed cars.

“I’ve got to go,” Ethan said as he checked his phone. He looked up at Scott, “-but I’ll be back to check on Danny, and I’ll tell you if there are any updates.” The boy ran off.

“I’ll be telling Scott if there are any updates!” Ray called. “He’s my brother you, you- ugh!” Her threats bounced off the Alpha’s back.

Scott laughed to himself and asked, “What were you thinking? Were you going to battle an Alpha?”

“If I had to, yes!” She looked around the parking lot again. Now Melissa McCall had come out to speak with the sheriff. It should have been odd to see her neighbor with the police lights dancing around her, but the sight had grown familiar since last semester. “Alright, I’m interested, what the hell happened out here?”

Stiles explained. “That car belonged to the on-call doctor that never showed.”

“And the other one’s still missing?” Ray asked, looking to Scott in hopes of hearing some of his optimism.

Scott frowned and looked down, not having the heart to say it, but the dejected look was enough for Ray. He looked to Stiles and asked, “These are definitely sacrifices, right?”

“Yeah, it's the one Deaton mentioned. . Healers.”

“What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe,” Ray pointed out.

“That's not a coincidence,” Scott agreed, “and if he hadn't been with Ethan, he probably would've died. Danny's not a healer. . .”

The three teens looked up when the sheriff answered a phone call.

“Can you hear that?” Stiles asked.

Scott turned back to his two best friends, “They found a body.”

“Your mom. . She’s a healer,” Ray whispered.

“So is yours,” Scott told her.

“So are you, Ray. . technically, sort of,” Stiles pointed out.

Ray suddenly looked over her shoulder. The shadows of the trees out front of the hospital seemed like someone was lurking in them. She stepped closer to her two friends and mumbled, “Shut it, Stilinski. Don’t scare me.”

“He’s right,” Scott told her. “Stay at my place tonight. Isaac and I will watch over you and my mom.”

“And I’ll also be there,” Stiles insisted. Both Ray and Scott looked at him like he was crazy. “What?! I can help! I have a bat.”

Scott put a hand on Stiles’s shoulder comfortingly, “Of course you can help, buddy.”

“What about my mom?” Ray asked. “I’ll stay home and watch over her.”

“Call us if anything happens,” Scott told her.

Her empty back pocket felt like it was burning a hole in her skin. “I won’t be able to. I’m grounded. No phone.”

“Grounded?” Stiles said like it was the craziest concept in the world.

“Yeah, Stiles! My brother has mistletoe poisoning and can’t breathe! My mom knows something’s up, and now I’m grounded for keeping things from her. Danny too!”

Scott cursed under his breath and said, “You shouldn’t be alone. I’ll have Isaac stay with you and he can call me if-“

“Wait a second,” Stiles said, “Ray doesn’t need Isaac to protect her. No Isaac necessary. He can stay with you, in your house, not Ray’s house.”

His best friend gave him a confused look while Ray bit her lip to keep in her laughter. She thought it would be funny to keep the idea going, “Isaac could sleep on my floor. I have that air mattress. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Uh- wait, look, here’s an idea. I stay at Ray’s place with my bat and I can call you if we need a werewolf’s help, sound good? Great. That’s the plan.” Stiles put his hands on the girl’s shoulders and started guiding her toward the jeep, saying, “We better get started on that plan!”

“Wait!” Scott called out. “Boyd asked if we could meet at my place tonight to talk about something. My mom gets off work at 10:30, so let’s meet up then.”

An hour later Ray was sneaking out of her bedroom window. The nights weren’t chilly yet since it was so early in September. Still, she was thankful for the warmth of Scott’s room when she slipped through his window. Her hair was freshly wet from her shower and making her back cold.

“Sure, just come on in,” Isaac said as he rolled his eyes. Boyd was sitting causally at Scott’s desk while Isaac paced the room.

“Scotty isn’t home yet?” Ray asked as she sat at the edge of her best friend’s bed. Her eyes followed Isaac’s back and forth movements with concern. When she looked to Boyd for an explanation, Boyd just shrugged.

Isaac paused in his movements to answer her, “Still waiting for his mom to get off her shift.” He wasted no time getting back to his pacing while tossing a lacrosse ball in the air.

“And Stiles?”

“Aren’t _you_ his babysitter?” Boyd asked.

“It’s Scotty’s turn this week.” Her comment earned her a grin from Boyd, a rare sight. She decided to ask him, “Are you staying the night too?”

“Just here to give you guys the run down for the plan tomorrow.” Boyd sat up straighter, hearing something outside. “Finally, they’re here.”

“Plan tomorrow?” Ray asked as the squeaky brakes of the jeep settled in the driveway.

Isaac spoke up, “You didn’t hear? Kali is planning an attack on Derek.”

“You guys think with Ennis gone, you’d be able to take on the rest? That’s still four alphas,” Ray looked to Boyd as she said, “Please, you aren’t crazy. You know Derek barely made it out last time.”

“We can take them this time,” Boyd said confidently.

Scott and Stiles stood in the doorway of the bedroom in shock at what they had just heard, having arrived just in time to hear Boyd say that.

“Tell me I’m not hearing what I think I’m hearing,” Stiles said.

“He’s right,” Isaac said, backing up his friend, “Boyd has a plan, a pretty freaking good one of you ask me.”

“A plan?” Stiles said, entering the room to sit next to Ray on the bed. “Well let’s hear it then!”

“I got the idea from Ray. We’re going to replicate what she did to me in the tub, but on a bigger scale.”

“A much bigger scale,” Isaac said under his breath.

“All you did was stun me,” Boyd told Ray, “But when electricity is used on werewolves for a longer period, it can do more. When the Argents captured me and Erica last semester, they kept us attached to these cables. The electricity kept us human. If we can get the alphas under that amount of power, and keep them there-“

“You’d keep them from shifting,” Scott realized.

The girl’s hands started to shake. “I-I don’t know if I can create something strong enough to shock all of them at once.”

“You won’t have to,” Boyd promised. He unzipped the duffel bag at his feet and showed them the cables. “I’ve got it all covered.”

A little while later, Stiles and Ray were in Ray’s kitchen. They were filling her mother in on all the supernatural happenings in the town. Ray was thankful to have Stiles with her because he had done most of the talking so far. Jer mother just had so many questions, and Ray never knew where to begin. It also helped to have someone else with her as a way to prove she wasn't lying. 

“And who is Derek again?”

“Derek Hale,” Stiles told her, “His family were the ones that had that house fire.”

“Oh! That’s right! Oh, he was such a cute kid,” Sonia said, smiling fondly to herself.

Ray and Stiles gave each other a look of disgust and confusion. Ray shook her head no and said, “I think you are thinking of someone else, Mom.”

“No, Derek Hale. Thalia’s son. He dated your cousin when they were in high school.”

All of Ray’s cousins were around her age, younger, or. . . “In Mexico?” She asked.

Sonia laughed. “No, no. Dina’s daughter.”

The name Dina seemed familiar, but Ray’s memory of it was foggy. Her brother Jayden couldn’t recall hearing the name ever. He got up from the couch to join them at the kitchen island, curious about this long lost family member his mother seemed to be making up on the spot.

“We don’t have an Aunt Dina,” Jayden challenged.

Sonia laughed at the boy and said, “Well, you were only six when she left town. She is your father’s older sister, Dynamene, and the reason I moved to Beacon Hills. She was going to help me raise you two since your father-well, forgive me for being blatant, but he sucks ass.”

Jayden shrugged. Ray nodded in agreement.

“Was Dina. . Like Dad?” Ray asked.

“Yes, and her daughter would have been too if she hadn’t passed away so young. That’s why Dina left. She went to New York to find the guy that killed her daughter. Haven’t heard from her sense. Though, your father does say that’s probably for the best. Apparently, she went a bit- off the rails. Was overtaken by power or something like that. You’d have to ask him. He still talks to her every so often.”

“A siren,” Ray whispered. She glanced over to Stiles who was watching her, thinking the same thing. It runs in the family. . .

“So, someone killed our cousin before she turned sixteen?” Jayden asked. “Why?”

“Well, the official police report says animal attack,” Sonia said before taking a sip of her tea. “-but I think you three know enough about this town to know what that really means.”

“And Derek was dating her?” Stiles asked, surprised that Derek was capable of being in a relationship since he was usually so cold.

“Oh, yes, they were so cute. He was a little player, but he sure did act all nervous when she brought him home. Anyway, you say he’s going to kill his pack now?”

“No, no,” Ray quickly said, “The Alpha’s want him to kill his pack that way he can join them, but he refuses.”

“Who exactly is in his pack? You and Scott?”

“Not me, or Scott. Or, actually, the Alpha’s might consider us part of his pack, but we definitely aren’t.”

“Just his sister Cora, Boyd, and Isaac,” Stiles clarified.

Sonia tilted her head. “Isaac is the one who lives next door now? The blonde one?”

“Yes!” Ray said excitedly, glad her mom was finally understanding some of it.

“He’s sweet,” Sonia decided as she sipped her tea.

“Very,” Ray agreed. “Which is why we have to help make sure the Alphas don’t kill him.”

“And Boyd and Cora,” Stiles added, looking slightly annoyed.

“What exactly does this have to do with the serial killer?” Sonia asked.

Stiles winced and said, “Right, so, the Darach showed up around the same time as the Alpha pack, but they aren’t working together. The Darach is sacrificing people in groups of three to make themselves more powerful. We don’t exactly know their motive yet, but I think it has something to do with the Alpha pack.”

“And Danny is involved in all of this. . How?”

Ray really hated what she was about to say, but for the sake of transparency, “He’s. . . dating one of the Alphas.”

Sonia spit out her tea and hunched over, coughing the chamomile out as best she could. Jayden rubbed his hand on her back and asked, “Ma! ¿Estas Bien?”

After nearly coughing out a lung, Sonia put a hand on the counter for support then said, “Si, si, I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “So, they are killing healers now?”

Stiles rubbed his hands together. “Yes, so Scott and Isaac are watching over Melissa tonight-“

“-And we’re gonna look over you!” Ray finished with a proud smile.

“Right, of course. Anything else I should know about? A third villain perhaps?”

Although Sonia was being sarcastic, Ray couldn’t help but feel like there was one more thing to admit to her mother that night. Hopefully, on the heels of revealing who Danny was dating, Ray’s news wouldn’t go over so bad. Besides, she was already grounded. Might as well put all her cards on the table.

“I’m dating Stiles.”

Her mother started coughing up her tea again. This time Jayden helped her sit down on a kitchen stool so that she wouldn’t fall over. Stiles himself nearly fell over. Ray had to catch him and straighten him out. His face was bright red then went pale with fear as soon as Sonia stopping coughing long enough to glare at him. He quickly swatted Ray’s hands off of him and side stepped to put space between him and the woman’s daughter.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Ray went on, not seeming to notice or care how her words were giving her mother a heart attack.

“Ray, please, stop,” Stiles begged.

“And, I love him.”

“Oh my god,” the boy whispered under his breath.

Sonia took a moment to compose herself before saying, “In that case, I do not care if there is an army of assassins plotting to kill me tonight. Stiles is not sleeping over.”

“Understandable!” Stiles said as he back away toward the front door where he had rested his bat. “I’m gonna go.”

“That would be smart,” Sonia told him.

Ray chased after him, stopping him at the front door with a huge smile on her face. She looked out of it, high on adrenaline. “Don’t forget to tell me goodnight.”

“I-uh-“

“It’s okay, I’ll go first!” Ray reached your on her tiptoes and planted a kiss right on his cheek, lingering longer just to spite her mother.

“Dios mío,” Sonia said under her breath.

Stiles kissed Ray’s forehead for a millisecond before reaching for the front door and rushing out, mumbling a terrified sounding, “Thanks for having me!”

After Sonia seemed like she was going to be able to hold herself up, Jayden smirked and said, “Called it.”

The next morning, Sonia drove Ray and Jayden to school. Even though Ray was still going to be grounded, or watched closely, as Sonia put it, she was allowed to have her phone back! The only catch was she was supposed to get all of her stepbrother’s schoolwork for him and take it to him after school at the hospital. Last night, Ethan had left Danny’s backpack at the hospital, so thankfully she didn’t have to talk to the Alpha to get it back.

In between every class, Ray planned on rushing to Danny’s class to pick up his homework for him. They had some together, including second period Econ. That was a blessing and a curse because Finstock talked her ear off until the passing bell rang. It was sweet that he was so worried for her stepbrother, but she wished he didn’t have to go on a whole spiel about the first time he met Danny and how he instantly knew that boy was going to be one of his Star students.

Which is why she was late walking into third period Physics. With her usual partner Isaac gone for the day, out preparing Boyd's plan to protect Derek, she slipped into the empty seat next to Lydia where Danny would have usually been. The sub at the front of the class seemed taken aback by how causally Ray walked in a minute after the bell.

“Excuse me, does Mr. Harris usually accept his students being so late to class?” The sub asked her. There was this odd way she was presenting her voice like she was trying to sound innocent, but the words she used came across as sarcastic. Ray recognized the woman as the new English teacher Stiles and Scott had. She hadn’t imagined the woman as being so. . . Stuck up.

And after dealing with Finstock, Ray wasn’t in the mood to play into the woman’s doe-eyed, innocent act.

“Harris can’t seem to even show up to class himself,” Ray said back.

Lydia let out something between a gasp of disbelief and a chuckle. Some other students in the class giggled. Ray smirked and winked across the room at Stiles who was staring at her, dumbfounded. It wasn’t uncommon for Ray to make sly remarks in Physics since Mr. Harris could take the heat and dish it right back. But Ms. Blake was nothing like Harris. She was docile, calm, and had that soft-spoken voice. Students never found it necessary to snap like that.

The sub, Ms. Blake, gasped slightly, not really knowing how to respond. She wasn’t going to let some teenager walk all over her like that. “Well, if you don’t want detention, then I suggest you come up with a good excuse as to why you’re late.”

“My brother is in the hospital, so I had to get his homework from his first two periods. So, sorry I was a little late. His lung collapsed, so I’m trying to do what I can to help him out.”

Ms. Blake shut her mouth quickly. How could she punish a student for that? “Sorry to hear about your brother. Hopefully he heals up quickly. Okay, class, let's get started, shall we? I'm filling in while we all hope and pray the school finds a more qualified substitute that actually knows a thing or two about Chemistry to take my place. Anyway, can anyone tell me where you guys left off?”

Lydia raised her hand. Ms. Blake gave her a thankful smile and called on her. Big mistake.

“Actually, Ms. Blake, this is Physics. Not Chemistry.”

“Right,” Ms. Blake quickly shuffled through the papers on the teacher’s desk. “You’re right.”

“As always,” Ray whispered, nudging Lydia.

“It’s truly tiring be right all the time,” Lydia joked back.

Though their light-hearted conversation didn’t last long. Scott McCall rushed out of the classroom, looking like he was about to breakdown. Both girls looked to Stiles for an explanation, but he wasn’t much help. In fact, he worried them even more by standing up and running after Scott.

“Mr. McCall! Mr. Stilinski!” Ms. Blake yelled after them. Ray stood up, eating a harsh glare from the teacher. “And what do you think you’re doing?”

“Collecting more homework than I bargained for,” Ray said as she dragged the two boy’s bags across the room to her seat with Lydia. Scott’s bag was on the lighter side. He usually carried around an organized binder and a notebook. Stiles’s backpack felt like he carried around his rock collection, something he had when they were kids. Luckily, she knew the boys’ locker combinations and would be able to shove them in there next passing period, that is, if Stiles’s locker wasn’t already too full.

It wasn’t until well into her next period that Ray got any sort of update. At the beginning of class, there was a fire alarm that sent all the students out to the football field. Ray didn’t catch sight of a single person in the group. Out of desperation, she asked Gabby if Lydia had been in class. Apparently, Lydia and Aiden were both missing from their fourth period. On a normal day, that wouldn’t be too surprising, but Kali planned on attacking Derek that night. Splitting up the group by having Lydia go missing would distract them from the fight, making it easier to get to Derek. Had the twins taken her?

The worst part of it all was, Ray was alone in trying to find Lydia.. Isaac and Boyd were setting up at Derek’s. Allison didn’t show up to school that day. Stiles chased after Scott last period to do who knows what. Danny was still in the hospital. Everyone was ignoring her calls and texts.

On the walk back to the classroom, Ray slipped away from the group and snuck into the girls’ room. Someone had recently sprayed their perfume all over the place. The smell was nauseating and made it hard to breathe. Her shallow breaths started to quicken. She leaned on the sink and whimpered from the sudden onset, pounding headache.

“Not now.” She gritted her teeth and tried to take a big breath, not getting any air. “Please, please not now.” Ray looked up, crying to whatever was above, and hoped it would show mercy. Her eyes landed on the ceiling tiles. She thought of counting them, but they looked eerily similar to the ones at the police station, the ones she counted the night Matt died.

The room around her started to tilt. Really it just Ray’s knees giving out. She leaned herself against the cold tile wall then slid down to take a seat.

Scott McCall was on the other side of the school, pulling himself up using the piano. His hand covered his shoulder to put pressure on the bleeding. Deucalion has just left him with a clue to help him find his boss.

_Let the current guide him._

The only current that came to his mind was an electric blue that flowed from his neighbor’s fingertips. It was unlikely Raymona would know where to find Deaton, but it was Scott’s only lead. And he had to do everything he could to make sure no one was going to die tonight. Not Deaton, not Derek. No one else was going to get hurt.

The girl he was looking for had left him a desperate sounding voicemail. She was somewhere in the school panicking because she couldn’t find any of her friends. Scott closed his eyes and focused, drowning out the sounds of other students until he came across her voice. A quiet whimper echoed off the tiled walls. Scott knew exactly where she was, and he felt like he couldn’t get there fast enough.

Without hesitation, he burst into the girls’ bathroom. Huddled on the floor in the corner was his best friend whose heart was racing. Her breathing was shallow like she couldn’t manage a deep enough breath.

“Ray, Raymona,” Scott said as he sat in front of her. “What happened?”

“Everyone- everyone’s. . gone.”

“I’m here now. It’s okay. Hey, do we need to count like we used to with Stiles? Remember that? When we were little?”

They counted Scott’s fingers until Ray was calm enough to listen to all that happened. Deaton had been the one to call Scott during class, warning the boy he was going to be taken. The school guidance counselor, Ms. Morell, was Deaton’s sister. She had told Scott and Stiles they needed to use the one person who had the ability to track down the supernatural in Beacon Hills. That’s why Lydia was out of class, she was working with Stiles and Cora to find Deaton or at least a clue that could lead them to him.

“But Deucalion told me something, he said, ‘Let the currents guide you.’”

“Currents?” Ray repeated back to the boy. The word had actually come up a lot in her life lately, or at least, it sounded familiar.

“Yeah! So I thought of you.”

“Of me?”

“You know, like electric currents?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help. Things would have been so much easier if the blue light sparking from Ray’s fingertips meant something deeper, but she had no idea how it could help Scott find Deaton.

And then it clicked. She had heard the word recently because her stepbrother had been doing a report on some sort of currents running through Beacon Hills. These past few weeks, he had been talking about it at the dinner table. It completely went over the rest of the family’s heads.

“I don’t think I’m the one to ask. God, I wish Danny were here. He’s doing some big report on currents for Physics. Or, he was. Mr. Harris told him to change the topic after Danny spent weeks on it. He’s pissed.”

“That’s it!” Scott yelled, standing up from the floor with his hope restored. “Danny knew something about currents, that’s why he was a target! Ray, can you get that report?”

“I’ll need a ride there, but then yeah. Should be easy to get. Danny is probably completely out of it from all the drugs they have him on.”

Scott helped her up off the floor then they were off to find Stiles to tell him the plan. Allison sent Scott a text saying she found something in her dad’s office, so he left on his bike to see what she found. That meant Ray’s only option for a ride to the hospital was. . .

“Hey, sunshine!” Stiles said, putting his arm around her as soon as the two were walking to the jeep alone. “Ready to go steal a report?”

“We won’t have to steal it. I could just ask Danny, you know.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Stiles had it in his head that they were going to sneak into Danny’s room and take the report undetected. He kept looking over his shoulder in the crowded hospital to make sure no one was watching them. When Ray openly waved to her mother across the hall, Stiles cringed, but then an idea came to his head.

He whispered to the girl, “You distract her, and I’ll get the report.”

“Stiles, I don’t need to distract her. She isn’t going to-,” but before she could finish, Stiles was darting around people in the hall and slipping into Danny’s room. It would have been perfectly normal to visit Danny if Stiles hadn’t been acting so suspicious. Now Ray’s mother was walking up to her with a confused look.

“You and Stiles come for a visit? Is school already out? This shift if flying by.”

School wasn’t out yet, but Ray wasn’t about to admit that to her mom.

“Actually we are here for that report Danny has been working on. The one about currents in Beacon Hills. We think that might have been the reason he was targeted. It might give us some answers.”

Her mother nodded then sighed. “You aren’t going to do anything dangerous, right?”

“No, Mom, of course not.”

“Okay, well. Call me if you need me, okay? Melissa and I just want to help you guys.”

“I know, Mom. I know.”

“And no hanging out with Stiles alone past dark. And text me where you are.”

“Alright, alright.”

Her mother grabbed the girl’s shoulder before she could walk away, “Raymona, be careful.”

“We’re just going over the report, Mom. Nothing crazy.”

Her words weren’t so convincing because Stiles burst out of Danny’s room with a guilty look on his face. He quickly tucked the report under his shirt then looked around to make sure no one was watching him. Ray and her mother both sighed heavily. The boy looked down and tried walking past the two women, but Sonia stopped him and dragged him back.

“Stiles, you and my daughter aren’t getting into trouble, are you?”

“Trouble?” His voice went up an octave. The papers under his shirt started to slip. His casual attempt to hold them in place was anything but. “No trouble here!”

“So she’ll be home safe by curfew, right?”

“Right! Of course!”

“Mom, seriously. We are just going to read over the report with Scotty and Lydia,” Ray told her again, hoping she would believe her this time.

Stiles's eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe she had told her mother exactly what they were doing, especially since Ray’s mother was always the one getting them in trouble when they were kids.

“I won’t hesitate to call your dad if she isn’t home by the time I get home,” Sonia warned the boy before turning on her heel and getting back to work.

Telling your girlfriend’s mom you’d have her home on time? Terrifying. Knowing your girlfriend’s mom knows even more than your own parent does? Extra terrifying. Stiles really didn’t need his dad getting a call from Ray’s mom. That would just lead to his dad questioning him about why they were out so late and. . It was getting harder and harder to lie to him.

“Don’t worry about her. If she didn’t like you, she’d be pulling me by my ear to the car and taking me home herself.” Ray reached you to fix his hair then said, “Now let me hold that report you’re hiding, 007.”

“By the way, if Danny says anything about this, tell him he was just dreaming.”

While being liked by her mother was important to Stiles, that wasn’t what was going through his head. What really scared him was knowing he’d eventually have to tell his dad everything just like Scott told his mom and Ray told hers.

The group met up at the clinic to share what they learned from the report and from Allison’s father.

Cora was getting impatient with it all, not fully understanding how this was going to help stop the killing. “Okay, so, what does this kid's homework have to do with finding Deaton”

“My _brother_ -,” Ray practically growled back, “-was researching something that scared the killer into trying to take him out.”

To break the tension in the room, Stiles stood between the two girls and started explaining, “It's a project on geomagnetic fields. They flow through the earth. They can even be affected by lunar phases. Now, look at this. This is a note from Harris on Danny's proposal.”

Lydia read it aloud, "’I strongly advise you to choose another subject. The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudo-science. Not suitable for class.’"

“Harris wasn't just a sacrifice. He knew something,” Scott realized.

“Now, check this out,” Stoles said as he helped Ray smooth out the map across the table. “Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map, alright? Danny had one too. Danny marked all the telluric currents. Now, the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it actually is a beacon. You wouldn't believe how much energy flowing through the earth is around this town.”

“Stiles, look,” Scott whispered as he showed the boy a picture on his phone. “They match.” He started marking on Danny’s map, “There’s three places, right? Where they're kidnapped, and then the place where their body was found.”

“Look, that's right on the telluric current,” Lydia said.

“So, maybe where he was sacrificed is somewhere in between,” Scott guessed.

Stiles took the pen from Scott, saying, “Let me see that. You said there's six more bodies to be found. Deaton's one of them. Got to be somewhere in between, right?”

“Stop.” Cora put her hand over his then dragged the pen back a few inches. “He's in the vault. He's in the same vault.”

With the combination of Danny’s report and Chris’s tracking, they actually managed to find where Deaton was located. For once they weren't six steps behind, trying to fit together fading pieces of a puzzle. Now all they had to do was rush over to the bank and hope he was still there.

“Guys, hold on,” Lydia called after Stiles, Ray, and Scott who had all sprinted for the door the second the location was discovered.

“Lydia, we don't have time,” Stiles told her.

Cora spoke up, “It's Boyd. The plan didn't work. They cut the power. They need Ray.”

Ray’s eyes flickered to Stiles to see how he was reacting to that. She couldn’t help but think of the promise she made him about not putting herself in harm's way, but if her friends needed her. .

“It's just like he said,” Scott whispered to himself. He looked to Ray, “Go. I can save Deaton myself.”

“What? Scott, what about us?” Stiles asked.

“Ray and Cora can't get there fast enough without you. Go. We can save both of them.”

Stiles looked down at Ray then said, “Don’t tell your mom I’m taking you to do something dangerous.”

Ray had been so ready to beat the shit out of Ethan at the hospital, but now that Stiles was driving her to fight the Alpha pack, she wasn’t so sure. Her hand clutched her necklace for a moment before pulling it off her head. There couldn’t be anything holding back her powers tonight. It clinked as she set it in the cup holder.

Stiles glanced at the cup holder then back at the road. He took a hand from the wheel to hold hers. Ray could feel her heart beating in her chest. She had forgotten Cora and Lydia were in the backseat when she brought his hand to her lips and kissed it.

Before the jeep came to a complete stop, Ray had swung the passenger door open. She yelled over her shoulder, “Cora, show them where the breaker for the building is. Try to get it working in case I- just try to turn it on.”

“Ray!” Stiles yelled after the girl. She had already disappeared into the building.

Upon seeing Ray into the loft, Ethan loosened his grip on the crying teacher, suddenly unsure of what to do. That was Danny’s sister, or, technically stepsister, but he loved her just like a sibling should. If anything happened to her in this fight, Danny would never forgive him.

His brother was calling his name, trying to bring his attention back to the task at hand. Ethan let go of Ms. Blake and held his hand out to Ray.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The concern in his voice must not have translated well, because Ray snarled at him. She shoved him back toward his brother, causing him to run into the teacher they had kidnapped.

“You know what agreeing to attack Derek meant.” She stumbled down the steps until she was ankle-deep in the water.

The fight going on was just between Kali and Derek at the moment. Isaac and Boyd were standing on a couch across the room. The blonde boy tried to step down from the couch to run to Ray, but Boyd held him back.

She was waiting for Derek to see her and jump onto a desk or table or anything. She didn’t want to shock him too.

“Now!” Derek yelled out. “Ray, do it now!”

She put her shaking hands under the cold water. A gush of wind and rain hit the window, startling the boys on the couch. Isaac took his last chance and jumped down to run across and help Ms. Blake. Boyd followed right behind him, not wanting to be separated from his friend once the water was electrified. Ray’s eyes were closed, focused on trying to make enough power to shock two alpha werewolves, but she heard them running through the water and waited until they were up the stairs behind her.

Kali was behind Derek with her arm around his neck. He managed out one last word before she choked him, “Now!”

The blue currents that usually just danced around her fingertips shot out into the water. A lightning bolt landing just outside caused the giant window to shatter, letting the wind from the storm rush into the apartment. Both Kali and Derek fell to the ground, and Ray knew it was time to stop.

Part of her wondered what if. .

What if she just kept going? What would it feel like to take the power of two Alphas?

“Ray,” Boyd called from behind her, bringing her out of the dark thoughts.

The lightning stopped, and Ray collapsed onto her side to take a breath. Boyd ran up to her and helped her to sit up. He shook her shoulders, but she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open.

“Guys, I think she needs help.” Boyd looked to Isaac as he spoke.

The blonde boy was still at the top of the stairs with their traumatized teacher. The twins looked like they were in shock. Aiden was opening gaping at the shattered window. Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off of Ray’s slumped figure.

Derek was pulling himself up using the desk for support. He took out his claws and leaned over Kali’s body. He didn’t want to do this, but she would stop at nothing to see him dead after Ennis. This was the only way.

Out of nowhere, a second wave of electricity hit, this time not as strong, but it still had Derek falling to his knees. The teens working on the breaker must have gotten the power back on. This time, Kali was able to stand despite the electricity.

“No!” Isaac screamed out as he watched Boyd and Ray fall onto their sides.

The power shut off again. The second he got up, Derek was kicked in the back of his knees, causing him to fall back down. Kali bared her teeth and yelled at the twins, “Take him!”

Ray’s body jolted, still feeling phantom traces of the electricity. Her shaking hand reached out to Boyd, hoping he would help her sit up again. Before he could even help himself up, the twins had each grabbed one of his arms, dragging him away from her. She rolled onto her stomach to push herself up, but her arms were far too weak.

Kali held Derek’s arms while the twins dropped Boyd onto his alpha’s claws. For a moment, the only thing that could be heard was the rain pouring through the window. Then Isaac was running through the water to help Ray up so that the twins couldn’t take her next.

“I’m giving you until the next full moon, Derek,” Kali told him. “Make the smart choice. Join the pack. Or next time I’m killing all of you.” Her eyes flickered to Isaac and Ray who were shaking as they held onto each other.

It wasn’t until the Alphas left that the two dared to move toward Boyd and Derek. Ray collapsed into the water and put her hands over the claw marks.

“You can’t,” Derek whispered. He knew what she was trying to do, but he also knew there was no hope.

The cuts went deep, but they didn’t seem extreme. She had healed worse on the boy just the other day. Boyd healed up easily then. Her hands started to heat up over the cuts. She held her breath.

Isaac fell to his knees next to them. He pulled Ray’s hands away from the bloody body. “He’s already dead, Ray. He’s already dead. It’s too late.”

“No!” Ray screamed out. “No! I can heal people. I’m supposed to heal people! I can save him!”

This couldn’t be happening. She fought against Isaac’s hold and put her hands over Boy’s chest again. The body had already gotten colder just from those few seconds Isaac pulled her away. Her hands heated up again like they were healing. The dripping blood trickled upward, back toward the wound. She was able to heal the slashes completely.

A tear fell from Derek’s cheeks down onto Boyd as he clutched onto the boy’s body. There was no heartbeat. There hadn’t been since long before Ray started healing him. This wasn’t his first time taking a life. He knew what it felt like when they were too far gone. As soon as Derek’s claws dig into the boy’s heart, Boyd was gone.

“Lay him down!” Ray said frantically. “I’ll do the chest compressions, and Isaac, you-“

“He’s gone.” Derek whispered.

“No, no he can’t be! He’s not bleeding anymore! There has to be something we can do.”

Derek gritted his teeth, losing his patience with the girl. “I took his power, Ray. I took everything. I could feel it happening. I could feel him die! He’s gone.”

A hand softly moved Ray’s hair from her shoulder then trailed across her shoulder blades in an effort to comfort her. Stiles crouched down next to the girl and used his other hand to grab one of hers. The look on his face felt like he knew something she didn’t. Like he was about to break horrible news to her.

“We have to try,” Ray said, teary-eyed, “Stiles-Stiles tell them we have to at least try.”

“You did try, baby. You did try. Now it’s time to get up, come on.” Stiles pulled the girl up. Her knees wobbled so she grabbed onto his shirt for support. His arms wrapped around her before leading her head to rest on his chest, forcing her to look away from Derek holding the body on the floor.

As soon as they were in the jeep, Ray dug her necklace out of the cup holder and put it back on. The heaviness from those dark thoughts earlier seemed to lighten, but she still carried the guilt on her shoulders. She almost killed Kali and Derek, or, she had at least thought about it.

Seeing the necklace caused Lydia to lean forward from the backseat and break the silence to ask the question that had been in the back of her mind the past hour.

“What the hell was that earlier?”

Ray and Stiles looked at one another in confusion, hoping the other would know what the redhead was saying. Honestly, it had been a long 24 hours. Ray had no idea what Lydia meant by earlier.

“What-“

Lydia interrupted her, knowing what Ray was about to ask and just giving her the answer, “The hand-holding. The kiss. Did you guys forget Cora and I were sitting back here?”

“Oh, that,” Stiles said.

Ray and Stiles braved a glance at each other then focused on the road ahead of them. Ray’s cheeks were warm, but for once that feeling was welcome. The heater hadn’t kicked in yet, and she still had the shakes from being electrocuted.

“Yeah, that. . How long has that been a thing?” Lydia continued, not caring she made her two friends in the front seat so uncomfortable.

“Do you want to know when it started or when it _actually_ started?” Stiles asked her.

Lydia leaned back in her seat. She shook her head in disbelief. Ray’s nerves were skyrocketing. She wanted to jump out of the jeep, and she might have if she actually had the energy to move.

It was all over. Every secret touch, every private moment, every I love you. . it was all about to be stripped away from them. Some people were going to ask why Stiles. Others were going to ask why not sooner. She didn’t want to hear from either side of the spectrum right now. All she wanted was warm, dry clothes and maybe a movie to watch on the couch while Stiles held her like he did that night after the kanima attacked them at the pool.

“When it actually started, I guess. I want to know the truth."

Ray took a deep breath before answering her friend, “Like, April?”

“More like January,” Stiles added.

Ray looked at him like he was crazy. “January?”

“Our first date was in January. . Bowling, remember?”

“That was not a date.”

“Oh are you seriously still- Come on!”

“It was a date,” Lydia said. “I literally had to tell you it was a date while you were on the date, but it was a date.”

“Thank you!” Stiles yelled to her. “Finally, someone’s on my side about this.”

If Cora and Lydia both saw the kiss, then word was going to get out quick. Ray would have to come up with a plan to tell Scott before he heard it from someone else. It just didn’t seem like the right time now, not after Boyd.

“Did Scott find Deaton?” Ray asked timidly. She needed to know, but she didn’t think she could handle more bad news.

“Scott and my dad saved him,” Stiles said. For a moment it seemed like he wanted to say more, but then he glanced in the rearview mirror at the girl in the backseat. He decided to wait until they dropped Lydia off to say the next part, “Scott thinks I should tell my dad.”

“Tell him. . .what exactly?”

“Everything. Tell him everything.”

Ray played with her necklace as she said, “I think. . I think it would help him with his job, knowing everything.”

“I know.” The streetlights glistened on the tears forming in his eyes. “It’s just- Scott’s mom didn’t take it well. . . Did your mom get mad at you?”

“My mom definitely wasn’t happy I turned out like my dad. And after Matt when I told her everything she. . She tried grounding me at first, but I think she was just hurt I didn’t tell her sooner. Like yesterday. Maybe Danny wouldn’t have been poisoned if my mom and Marcus knew everything that was going on ahead of time. Our lives are kind of consumed by all of this, and it’s hard keeping so much of myself from her. That’s why- it’s why I told her about us.”

Stiles smiled slightly at the end. “I still can’t believe you did that. And now Lydia knows too, probably Cora. Oh god, we really gotta tell Scotty soon.”

“Um, sooner rather than later because Melissa kind of knows too-“

“What?!”

“And Danny. They saw the Mets logo on the shirt you let me borrow last night.”

Stiles nervously chewed on his thumbnail before saying, “Okay, so like, my dad definitely knows and also somehow Coach. I may or may not have told a few online friends-oh! And the guy who works night shift Mondays at the 7/11.” He glanced over at her to catch her soft smile. “Wanna text your mom and see if you can come over for a bit? I’ll let you borrow some dry clothes and we can watch a movie.”

She had no idea how he knew exactly what she needed. Thankfully, her mother was understanding after Ray updated her with what happened. She was allowed two hours at Stiles’s house as long as the sheriff was home. His shift was ending soon, which meant Ray had enough time to clean up before he got there.

In Stiles’s bathroom, blood could be seen trailing down the sink, but it felt like it wasn’t coming off like there was still a sticky layer that haunted her. She whimpered as she scrubbed her wrists. Stiles barged into the bathroom thinking she was being attacked to find her sitting on the floor in front of the sink crying. He turned off the water then sat down next to her.

“I couldn’t save him.”

He rubbed her back, “You did all you could. It’s not your fault.”

“If I can’t heal people when it matters most then what’s the point? I’m useless.”

“Hey, hey, hey whoa.” He placed a kiss on top of her head then said, “Don’t talk about my beautiful girlfriend like that. Ever.”

“Stiles,” she said as she rolled her eyes. Stiles tucked her head under his chin as he hugged her. He wasn’t able to see the big cheesy smile on her face.

“Have you seen that super cool thing my girlfriend does when she calls a whole fucking storm? And then she takes the lightning right from the sky and just- ZAP!” He flung his hand out, trying to mimic the way she throws the lightning.

Ray let out a laugh and pulled his hand back close to them so she could plant a kiss on it. His heartbeat against her cheek made her own feel like it was pounding. Moving from the floor in front of the sink seemed like it was the last thing she wanted to do, but then her eyes caught something under the sink. A single grey lego was collecting dusk up against the baseboard. She picked it up and blew on it to get some of the dust off.

“Imagine-,” suddenly she was laughing so hard she could get her words out, “Imagine if one day in like five years we finally finish that damn Death Star only to find this one piece was missing.”

“You think we’ll still be working on it in five years?” Stiles asked as she handed the piece to him.

“It’s sort of put on the back burner at the moment.”

“But in five years. . In your head. . We’d be working on it together?”

Ray faked a gasp. “Are you planning on breaking up with me, Stilinski?”

“No! No-“

“Well even if you are, we are committed to that stupid project. And once it’s done, we’ll pass it back and forth weekly like divorced parents. .”

“I’ll make sure to get it all hyped up on sugar on the day to give it to you,” Stiles added with a smirk.

“I’m gonna take it to a bunch of fun stuff like Disney on Ice that way whenever it’s sitting on your shelf it keeps asking, ‘When do I get to go back to Mom’s?’”

“Bet it won’t be asking that once I buy it it’s first car.”

Ray smirked. “Good. You can pay for the insurance too. And I’ll go on a singles cruise with all the money I’ve saved.”

“A singles cruise?” Stiles acted surprised. He helped the girl up from the floor. “No taller more handsome man after me?”

“I’d just be waiting for you to apologize and beg for me to come home.”

She kissed his cheek before standing up from the bathroom floor to go put away the single lego. Stiles stayed on his bathroom floor, watching his girlfriend as she slowly started getting out the lego set and organizing the legos by color. It was the perfect distraction for her at the moment.

He smiled knowing that they would be up for hours working on the damn thing, only to mix all the remaining legos back up into one pile at the end of the night. That way she would have something to organize the next time they dug out the project. Ray always complained about how he would mix up the pieces, but he knew she liked separating them more than she liked actually building the damn thing. That’s probably why they’d been working on it for so many years. They didn’t intend to ever actually finish it.

“Stilinski,” she whined, “You gonna come help me organize this mess you made or what?”

The boy finally moved to sit next to her. He gently kissed her lips then pulled back to say, “I love you.”

“Batting your pretty eyes at me and saying you love me isn’t gonna get you out of separating the medium gray from the dark gray, Stilinski.”

“It was worth a try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish Teen Wolf had given Boyd more. Unlike the show, his death won't just happen then never be spoken about again. I have a scene from season five written that is a call back to this chapter. Moments that happened in the loft this chapter will be affecting Ray for chapters to come. Something that happens in that scene is actually going to be one of the major plot points for her in 3B!
> 
> The emotions in this chapter were kind of a rollercoaster, huh? Whoops. Sorry, y'all. Feel free to yell at me about it on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/babyjeep)


	32. Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW// a post funeral scene
> 
> It brought up stuff for me so I figured I’d mention it. Nothing graphic, just teens trying to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a double update this week!!

It was well past dark on a Monday night, but that didn’t stop Ray from climbing through her neighbor’s open bedroom window unannounced. It didn’t matter what time it was, the information she and Stiles just pieced together was way too important to wait until morning. Besides, they had plans the next day that wouldn’t leave much time for discussing what she just learned.

“Scotty, you’re not gonna believe-“ as she stood up straight and caught sight of the room, her voice cut out.

Her neighbor was nowhere to be found, but their friend staying with him was sat at the edge of Scott’s bed, holding her neighbor’s electric guitar. The boy’s blue eyes went wide with fear like he was a child being caught trying on his mother’s expensive heels without asking. He cleared his throat and quickly put the guitar on the bed.

“I was just- Scott showed me a couple things the other night and uh- just thought I’d practice a bit before he got home.” Isaac quickly stood up from the bed. His cheeks were a faint pink from being caught.

Scott really loved his guitar, but Ray knew he would gift it to Isaac in a heartbeat if he knew it made the blonde boy happy to play it.

“You can keep playing,” she told him.

“I’m not-it wasn’t even really playing, honestly. Just practicing the same two chords. . . over and over.” He quickly put the guitar back on its stand and said, “Scott should be home soon anyway.”

As Ray sat at Scott’s desk, her eyes caught sight of an open notebook that Scott had been writing in. Accidentally glancing over just a few words of the small paragraph made her freeze up. Her face went pale.

“He’s planning to speak at the funeral?” Ray wondered aloud.

The floorboards behind her creaked as Isaac shifted his weight uncomfortably. His voice was quiet and timid like he used to be before he was bitten, “Yeah, yeah he’s. . He’s gonna say a few things. I- I don’t think I could.” His blue eyes focused on his socks and his lips pressed into a harsh line, trying not to let himself show emotion.

But there was no point in hiding one’s true feelings around Ray. And she didn’t think it was shameful Isaac was feeling the way he did. Everyone was still in that state of shock, not entirely believing what they had seen actually happened.

“You knew him best. I think it would mean a lot if you wrote something, even if Scott read it for you. Boyd didn’t let a lot of people in. Just a few that he thought were worthy of knowing him,” Ray paused, seeing Isaac’s discomfort. He wasn’t one known for talking in front of crowds or even smoothly getting through class presentations. “Or, whenever you’re ready, maybe you could just tell me.”

A soft, boyish innocence flashed across the blonde boy’s face. His mouth fell open. He wanted to say something, and maybe he would have if he didn’t hear his foster brother coming up the stairs in the hallway.

Scott burst into his bedroom and shrugged off his jacket to hang it up. “Oh thank god, you’re both here. Okay so, Gerard? Pretty sure he was lying the entire time.”

“Peter lied to me and Stiles for an hour too. It’s almost like it’s fun for them to lead us in the wrong direction at this point.”

“Anything about Derek?” Scott asked.

“Cora said she’d try and get ahold of him.”

“And how is she?” Isaac asked, “She and Boyd were. . Well they spent a lot of time together.”

Ray looked down at her hands. Reading people’s emotions already felt invasive. Telling others what people were feeling? That felt like gossiping. Ray didn’t want to gossip.

“You should probably ask her. She could probably use someone to talk to.”

And Isaac could too it seemed. If he wasn’t ready to talk to her, maybe Cora would be the perfect person to go to. She spent a lot of time with Boyd when the Alphas captured them. The two must have been close.

Scott told them the story from Gerard about how Deucalion became blind and how that led to him killing his entire pack. Interestingly, both Gerard and Peter’s stories had started with Enis losing a pack member to the hunters. That had been the catalyst for a war between the packs and the hunters. The war had ended in Deucalion going blind, which is what led him to kill one of his own pack members then eventually his whole pack. Killing his own betas had made him stronger. With his senses heightened, he honestly didn’t need his sight, but according to Gerard, Deucalion wasn’t always blind. That seemed to be the only bit of information Scott got out of Gerard that could someone be used in a way of having the upper hand. Sight or no sight, Deucalion seemed unstoppable.

Ray then began telling the two boys the story Peter told. She made sure to pause and express every time she felt like Peter had been lying, or at least not telling the full truth, which was often.

“So Derek just wanted to end her suffering?” Isaac asked.

Ray frowned. “And I think that might have been the only time he’s killed which is why he left. What happened with Boyd brought up those memories.” The boys were silent, not really knowing how to follow that up. Ray sighed and added, “There’s something else about the girl Derek dated, about Paige. Peter didn’t tell us this, Stiles made the connection actually because my mom had told us the other day about how my cousin dated Derek when they were in high school. I don’t remember her, and I don’t even think I’ve seen pictures because my mom kept everything about my father’s side hidden as soon as my aunt left town. Apparently, she died just a few months before she turned sixteen. An animal attack.”

Scott seemed to make the connection for himself, “You think Paige was your cousin.”

“The only thing that doesn’t add up is that my mother said my aunt went to New York to find my cousin’s murderer.”

“No, that makes sense,” Isaac mumbled and sat up straighter. “When Derek first warned us about you, he said he learned about sirens from his uncle who had a run-in with one in New York. Peter lived there for a short period of time. That’s why Laura and Derek went there after the fire. It was familiar to them.”

“But didn’t Derek chose you guys because the bite isn’t likely to kill teenagers?” Scott asked the blonde.

“Human teenagers,” Ray added. “But remember what happened to Lydia? She’s something else, and the bite almost killed her.”

Isaac nodded. “And Jackson didn’t take too well to the bite when he was becoming the kanima. Derek said once he found Jackson with black blood coming out of his ears like his body was fighting the bite.”

“Exactly. So Paige was already a sea nymph. That’s why the bite killed her.”

This new information didn’t seem as exciting to Scott as it did to Ray. Something was really bothering him. “Does that mean the bite would kill you?”

“Yeah I- I guess it does.”

She hoped they’d never have to test that theory.

The next morning was the funeral. After the church service, people were piling into cars to follow the hearse to the graveyard. Isaac had lingered at the entrance of the church to look over the pictures of Vernon Boyd that had been set up. His friend Ray stood behind him. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the pictures, but she also didn’t want to leave Isaac’s side. They soon found themselves on the stone bench next to the display, not making any moves to join the flood of people heading to the parking lot.

Ray and Scott’s moms had already gotten in the minivan and were chatting about whether or not to take the kids to the gathering after the graveyard service, or whether they should even take the kids to the graveyard service at all. The church service seemed to shake them up, and they didn’t want to take Isaac to the place where his dad used to force him to work. Ultimately they would leave it up to the kids, but they knew they should definitely check in on Isaac soon.

The side door to the van was slid wide open. Stiles was sitting sideways in the middle row to talk with Scott who was still standing outside the van, not wanting to get in until Isaac joined them. Scott was repurposing the suit he wore to winter formal, replacing the blazer with a black denim jean jacket. Stiles didn’t have many dress clothes that weren’t some shade of blue or grey, so he had borrowed a black button-up from his dad’s closet that was baggy on him. Neither boy had remembered to tuck their shirt into their pants.

“That was. . not at all what I expected.” As soon as Stiles said it, the tension in Scott’s shoulders released. It was good to know someone else had felt the same about the service.

“It was weird, right?” Scott agreed.

“Almost like we knew two different Boyds.”

“His Aunt in the front row gave me such a weird look when I talked about his art.”

“I’m glad you went up there and spoke from our point of view because that whole first half. . . it almost felt like we were at the wrong service.” The two boys silently looked over to the church where Isaac and Ray had moved to sit on the bench out front. Isaac was staring down at his hands. Ray was rubbing his shoulder. Stiles was trying not too hard about that interaction.

Scott, who had looked like he was going to be ill ever since he said his speech, asked, “Should we go check-in?”

“No,” Stiles decided after an intense internal struggle, “Ray’s good at talking people down. Let her do her thing.”

Meanwhile, Ray wasn’t doing much talking. Her mind was going over some of the speeches given at the funeral. She hadn’t know Boyd too well, and now she felt like his family hadn’t known him very well either, or at least not this past year. It actually would have surprised her if any member of his family had known what he went through. They seemed to be under the impression that he had actually run away those months he was taken hostage in the bank. It was painful to hear that. His grandmother seemed so heartbroken that he felt the need to run away since she had only ever given him love.

He’d never get to be honest with her about what happened.

“I feel like I don’t belong here,” Isaac admitted. “That story his uncle told about Boyd learning to play hockey? Boyd had never even once mentioned hockey to me. It makes sense, I mean, he practically lived at the ice rink before he joined the pack, but. . But we only ever talked lacrosse or comics.”

There was this big display of flowers surrounding one of the main pictures of Boyd. One of the white lilies looked like it might fall from the display. Isaac reached out and held the flower at its base gently to readjust the stem back into place on the wreath.

Ray, who had been staring at the flowers since they had sat down next to them, seemed to come out of her daze at Isaac’s hand came into her view to adjust the lily. She frowned. It was sad to think Isaac felt like he didn’t belong at his own friend’s funeral.

“Just because you didn’t know every detail of Boyd’s life doesn’t mean you don’t belong here. Hell, I don’t know everything about you, does that make me a bad friend?” She asked him.

“No, I guess not. . .”

“I don’t tell my mother about every little thing I do. In fact, I act like a completely different person depending on if I’m with my friends or with my family. I think that could be said for all teenagers, at least, all that I know.”

It was true for Isaac at least. He had to put on a fake persona in front of his dad. Boyd had to hide a lot from his family too. They didn’t know he was a werewolf.

Ray squeezed the boy’s shoulder as she went on, “You didn’t know Boyd watched hockey because you knew a different side of Boyd, a different time in his life. Half of those family members said they hadn’t seen him since he was a kid. They knew Boyd, but not the same Boyd we knew. He related to people in different ways. We all do that.”

They weren’t at the graveyard for long, which everyone in their group was thankful for. Stiles especially was having a hard time standing still for that long in the wet grass. It wasn’t the loss of a classmate or the dreary ambiance of a graveyard that bothered him most. What really made him uneasy was the feeling that someone was watching him. He had been mindlessly staring off in the direction his mother’s grave was in when the feeling set in. Over his shoulder, he saw both Ray and Scott’s mom watching him. Feeling like he was caught in the act, he immediately diverted his attention back to Boyd’s service. Still, he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in his chest. He didn’t want their pity, honestly, he hadn’t even been thinking of her, at least, not in a sad way.

A small hand wiggled its way into his jacket pocket. Ray offered him the faintest of smiles. She had done her makeup pretty today, and Stiles wanted to tell her. It just didn’t feel appropriate with everything going on.

On the way home, Sonia’s minivan broke down, smoke, flames, and all. While the moms tried to figure out how they were going to get home after the tow truck came, the teens teetered dangerously on the line of trees, slowing inching further from the side of the road.

“Derek was there, at the graveyard,” Isaac spoke up.

“I saw him too,” Scott confirmed.

“So he’s back in town. You think he has a plan for what comes next?” Stiles asked as he tossed a pebble deeper into the forest.

Ray, who was already getting annoyed with the amount of dirt and pine needles stuck in her flats, begrudgingly answered, “Derek with a plan? Fat chance.”

“He’s been different lately,” Isaac disagreed.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Is this the same Derek who showed up to an abandoned mall to start a fight with the Alphas? Or are you talking about the Derek who wanted to take them on alone at his loft and probably would have died if Boyd hadn’t come up with a plan?”

Scott and Ray both saw the annoyance on Isaac’s face and knew they had to do something to diffuse the tension. Scott pretended like he was wandering around when really he was stepping between the two other boys to break up their eye contact. Ray leaned against one of the trees and spoke up to draw attention to herself, “Danny says the band kids are preparing a concert for Thursday to remember the lives lost. You guys going?”

“That’s kind of them,” Scott said.

“Yeah! The whole town is invited. The cheer team has to go, and we’re required to wear our school hoodies or t-shirts to spread unity for the town or. . . something like that. Our coach seems to think teenage girls smiling at people will make them feel better about everything going on. At first, she wanted us to wear our uniforms, but we talked her out of that one.”

“That’s a shame. Those cheer uniforms would have definitely made me feel better,” Isaac said with a smirk.

Instead of telling him off or shoving him like Stiles expected her to, Ray threw her head back and laughed.

“I swear, Lahey, all you think about is sex.”

“No! That’s not-. . Okay, maybe there is a bit of truth to that.”

“Kids!” Melissa yelled from the road, “Tow truck’s here!”

Later that night, Ray was leaning against the kitchen counter in the Stilinski’s house and feeling oddly relaxed despite their long day. Their parents had made them go to school in the morning before the funeral, and that whole fiasco with the van breaking down had everyone uneasy. It felt like one bad thing happened after another.

But then something good happened for once. Stiles said his dad wanted to have Ray over for dinner. He hadn’t been able to make it to the funeral because of work, but he still wanted to check in and ask how things went.

Something was different now that Stiles had confirmed his dad’s suspicions about him and Ray. Maybe it was because there was no longer an awkward tension from feeling like they were hiding something. It could have also been the pressure being lifted from the teens' shoulders. Stiles still had to lie about the supernatural to his dad, but Ray was something he didn’t have to hide.

“So what are you guys planning on doing?” The sheriff asked.

It was like a wave of ice water crashed over her head. She nearly dropped the glass she was drying. What did he mean by that? Was he asking about Derek and the Alpha pack? Or the Darach? How did he know?

“Tonight?” Stiles said over the water running from the sink. “Oh, we didn’t have any plans.”

Oh, he meant like for the night, as in, something normal teens thought about. Right.

“Mom doesn’t really want me running around town too much given the state of things,” Ray admitted.

“That’s smart of her. What time does she want you home by?”

“Oh, um, she said I could stay out until ten as long as I’m being safe.”

“You hear that Stiles? Have her home by ten. I’m going to go read over some files. You know the rules: door open.”

Stiles blinked in disbelief as his dad left the kitchen. “Y-yeah Dad, for sure.” As soon as he was out of sight, Stiles started piling the dishes in the dishwasher at an alarming rate.

“Your dad is so cool. I can’t believe he just. . . What the hell are you doing?”

Stiles grabbed the plate from her hand and stuffed it in the machine as well. “The dishes.” He slammed the door closed then turned it on all in one swift motion. Then he spun on his heels to face her. “See? Now it’s done so I can do this.”

An ambush of kisses was placed across her forehead and cheeks. Ray started laughing and had to push him off. “That’s why you suddenly developed super-speed?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? I’m a Werecheeta now. I run fast and I do the dishes fast.”

Ray fixed his messy hair as she asked, “Alright, Flash. We watchin’ A New Hope or Emperor Strikes Back?”

“Oh, I’m so lucky-“ he planted another hasty kiss on her cheek before running off to set up the TV, “-So lucky!”

But what Stiles didn’t know was that Ray was the lucky one. Sitting on the couch with a blanket over them both as they talked about nothing dire or important was exactly what Ray needed. The way he went on about the world and set design of each scene was the perfect distraction to their fast-paced lives. She wished she could spend every night on the couch destressing with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short on purpose for many reasons  
> 1\. It’s a flashback episode in the series, and not much changes about the flashbacks except the added information Stiles and Ray discover. That was the only thing I felt was needed to add due to its importance in the future (hello, yes, I’m already writing Easter eggs for season five. Did you know I already wrote Easter eggs for the post show mini series I have planned to wrap up their relationship? Bet y’all didn’t)  
> 2\. Boyd deserved his time, but I wasn’t going to write out 8k of grieving. I lost a friend young, and the grieving happened overtime for me. The Isaac and Ray scene was important for me to write because it was something I needed to hear after my friend’s funeral.  
> 3\. I didn’t want to add a bunch of extra scenes to overshadow Boyd’s memory  
> 4\. Writing this chapter made me sad hence the almost two months of no posting  
> Glad to be back. (The world is very crazy right now and I MISSED this escapism dearly) Thank you for your patience! I love you guys and appreciate every comment!! Even the ones I don’t reply to. Sorry I’ve been lame :/
> 
> REMEMBER THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE! Chapter 33 should be up at any moment if it isn’t loading for you yet!!


	33. Crescendo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FORGOT TO SAY WELCOME BACK IN THE LAST CHAPTER! SO Welcome Back!!!!!! Thanks for sticking around through the hiatus. xoxo~Gossip Girl

Last night, cheer practice consisted of fifteen minutes of workout and forty-five minutes of poster making for the concert that was being held tonight. Afterward, Lydia had convinced Ray to hang out with her and Allison. This seemed to mean a lot to Lydia since she had been trying to get Allison and Ray back on good terms ever since Allison came back from her time abroad. Things between the two brunettes were definitely better than they had been at the beginning of the school year, but Ray felt like too much time had passed and now things were just awkward. But, Lydia was one of Ray’s closest friends, and she didn’t want to ever make Lydia feel like she had to choose between hanging out with her and Allison.

That’s why Ray agreed to join them for a movie night. After they picked up Allison, they decided they wanted to grab snacks and face masks at the drugstore in town. Their first mistake was letting Lydia drive. Their second mistake was letting Lydia get out of the car when she had parked it at the school instead of taking them to the drugstore like planned.

Her mysterious abilities had led her to another body. Not wanting to go looking for it, the girls decided to call the boys and have them search for it. This time it was one of the deputies, Tara Graeme. Even though her body was slumped over the school sign when Scott found it, school wasn’t canceled for the rest of the week.

Since the concert was that night, Ray had to arrive at school early to put up more of those posters the cheerleaders made the night before. The school sign was still being cleaned up, and police were everywhere. Gabby kept wondering what happened and tried to make conversation. Not being in the mood to explain how she had been there, Ray played dumb and acted like she didn’t know what was going on. Soon the conversation changed to Gabby venting about her after-school job at the grocery store which was a fresh change of pace to the usual problems Ray was faced with.

English first period with Isaac felt like it was set in another dimension. Isaac was quieter than usual. It felt like their friendship had taken fifty steps back, reverting to times when they didn’t know each other well enough to talk about topics for the whole fifty minutes of class. She spent the whole period sitting next to him but somehow missed him more after the bell separated them.

Scott sent him to check in on Allison after that since she didn’t show up to school, something Ray wished she had done herself. Her mother had actually been uncharacteristically understanding and offered for her to stay home after what happened the night before. Ray had texted Lydia to see if she was still going to school despite what happened. Since Lydia was going, Ray figured it would be lame to stay home.

Boy, oh boy, did she regret that because the rest of the day seemed to drag on and on. Ray couldn’t focus at all in her classes. Even fifth period art was torture because she kept remembering Scott talking about Boyd’s artwork at the funeral, and she didn’t even have anyone to share that feeling with since Isaac was gone.

Now she was standing at her open locker, trying to remember what she needed from it.

Stiles was suddenly at her side, pulling her attention away from staring blankly into her locker. Even though she recognized his voice enough to register who it was speaking to her, he sounded muffled along with the rest of the hallway traffic. He was using his hands as he talked and kept looking up to the left to remember all the details that would catch her up to speed.

Finally, his voice got clearer than the static of the hallway, “. . so, you coming?”

There was a fleeting hint of terror in her eyes as she realized he was waiting for her to respond. If only she had heard even a few words of what he just said. It was embarrassing to admit she hadn’t heard him. She didn’t want to come off as rude.

Lucky for her, Stiles had seen that vacant expression on her face before and wasn’t offended. Instead, he asked, “Do you want to find a place to sit?”

“N-no,” Ray insisted. “I’m fine. I just didn’t hear you. . Could you repeat. .all of that?”

“Okay, I’ll try to summarize since I kinda went on a little tangent. So Scott thinks the Darach could have been an emissary for the Alpha pack at one point. He wants to ask Ethan about it, but Ethan is always with Aidan, so Lydia is going to distract Aidan right now by taking him to Coach’s office that way we have a shot at getting information out of Ethan.”

It was impressive he was able to say all that in one breath.

“. . So we’re skipping calculus again?” Ray could actually use a shorter school day today.

“Think of it as showing up fashionably late.”

“How come we always get the boring tasks? When is there gonna be a plan that involves _us_ in Coach’s office?”

“I-well- Okay, now I know something’s wrong-,” He put his hand on her forehead. “Are you feeling sick?”

“What? Lydia and Aiden get to make out, and they aren’t even dating anymore. And Allison and Isaac get to spend the whole day not at school. . What do we get to do? Interrogate Ethan? I don’t wanna do that. I just wanna- Can’t I make out with my hot boyfriend?“ Then Ray pouted, and Stiles didn’t even think she was trying to be funny or cute. She was genuinely just upset. It probably wasn’t really about wanting to make out with him, but just the fact that that’s the excuse she was going with?. .

It was utterly adorable.

“You’re so cute when you’re frustrated.”

“Stiles! I’m being serious!”

“I know you are, baby. What do you want me to do, huh? I promise we can make out in any empty classroom you want after we’re done getting information. Would that make you feel better?”

She grabbed his belt loops and pulled him closer. “We can’t make out _before_ we interrogate Ethan?”

“Jesus,” Stiles whispered. “Uh, no. The plans already in motion. Interrogation first.”

Ray grumpily closed her locker as she mumbled, “Let’s get this shit show over with then.”

Ethan was as reluctant to talk with them as Ray was to listen. “Why are you even talking to me? I helped kill your friend. How do you know I'm not gonna kill another one?”

His eyes flickered to Ray who looked very bored behind Scott then to Stiles who had been leaning against the wall of the stairwell. Stiles seemed to spring forward like he was waiting for a moment to be tested. “Is he looking at me? Are you threatening me? You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to break off an extra-large branch of Mountain Ash, wrap it in Wolfsbane, roll it in Mistletoe, and shove it up your freaking-“

Scott put a hand on his best friend's chest to hold him back, “Whoa, Stiles, okay. We get it.” He handed Stiles off to Ray as if somehow she'd be able to calm him down so that Scott could go on, “We're talking to you because I know that you didn't want to kill Boyd. And I think that if something like that happened now, you wouldn't do it again.”

“He better not,” Stiles grumbled under his breath.

Ray tilted her head in curiosity. Just ten minutes ago he seemed like he was in a better mood than this. Her hand tugged on his sleeve. “You good?” She whispered even though it was pointless. The werewolves could hear them even if they were whispering on the other side of the school.

That’s why Stiles didn’t respond, he just shook his head and glared at Ethan.

“You don't know what we owe them,” Ethan explained, “Especially Deucalion. We weren't like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren't alphas.”

“What were you?” Scott asked.

“Omegas.”

“You guys were alone?” Ray asked.

Ethan shook his head no. “In actual wolf packs, omegas are the scapegoat, the last to eat, the one who has to take the abuse from the rest of the pack.”

“So you and your brother were, like, the bitches of the pack?” Stiles had chosen to be colorful with his words today it seemed.

“Something like that,” Ethan grumbled, not liking Stiles’s wording.

Scott tried to move the conversation forward, “What happened?”

“They were killers. I mean, people talk about us as monsters. Well, they were the ones who gave us the reputation. And our Alpha was the worst of them.”

“Why didn't you guys just fight back? Form Voltron-Wolf, you know? Kick everyone's asses?” Stiles said as if it was easy.

“Vol. . tron?” Ray questioned.

Stiles clutched his backpack strap over his chest dramatically. “You don’t know Voltron?”

“Should I?”

“It’s a classic 80s cartoon!”

“I wasn’t alive in the 80s!”

“Guys,” Scott chastised them so that Ethan could go on.

“We couldn't, we didn't know how to control it back then,” the twin explained.

“Deucalion taught you,” Scott realized.

“And then, we fought. We took down the whole pack, one-by-one. And by the time we got to our Alpha, he was begging for his life. And we tore him apart. Literally.”

That mental image was unsettling. Ray found herself shuffling to hide behind Scott and Stiles.

“What about your emissary? They're all dead? Ennis and Kali’s too?”

“All of them except for Deucalion's.”

“You mean Morrell?” Stiles clarified.

Ethan suddenly yelled in pain and grabbed at his chest just he had been attacked.

“What's wrong? Are you hurt?” Scott seemed surprisingly concerned considering this was one of the people working against them.

“Not me-,” Ethan gasped the spoke through clenched teeth, “-My brother.”

By the time they got to the locker room, Aiden had a deep slash of claw marks across his chest. He was swinging a fifty-pound weight in the air to hit Cora across the head. Ethan and Scott rushed to grab the weight from him before he could smash it down on her again. Lydia’s voice echoed against the lockers.

“Aiden, stop!”

Despite the boys holding him back, Aiden’s eyes were still a deadly red. He growled and fought against their hold. A small hand laced with an electric blue light pushed against his chest, making him stumble back. His sharp fangs and glowing eyes calmed back to his human form as he clenched at his chest where her hand had shocked him. Ethan winced and held his hand over the same spot in his own chest, so Scott grabbed the heavy weight and quickly threw it behind them so that Aiden couldn’t try that again.

Once Ethan recovered from the shock, he got in his brother’s face, yelling, “You can’t do this!”

“She came at me!” Aiden insisted breathlessly.

“It doesn’t matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can’t touch him or her.” Ethan offered a small nod to Scott then grab his brother to drag him out of the locker room.

Ray spun around to look for Lydia. She was bent down by Cora to check on the girl. Ray squeezed her friend’s shoulder and asked, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lydia whispered, her eyes not moving from Cora’s face.

Stiles got low to get a better look at Cora’s injury. “Hey guys, I think she’s pretty hurt.” Stiles, Scott, and Lydia all turned to look at Ray.

She sighed and got down on her knees. “I’m going to need a towel or something drenched in water.”

Ray got to work on healing up the young Hale while Scott took away a bit of the girl’s pain. It didn’t take long for the girl to wake up, and since her injury and pain were gone, she was right back to being pissed. Her temper seemed to be even worse than Derek’s used to be when they first met him. In comparison to Cora and Peter, Derek almost seemed normal, nice even.

“Where is he?” She growled and jumped up from the floor. Her feet stumbled from getting up so fast after going down so hard. Everyone moved to catch her, but she found her footing on her own, grumbling, “I’m fine.”

“Sour wolf,” Ray mumbled to herself. It was a nickname Stiles had once used for Derek, but it felt much for fitting for his angsty teen sister.

“You okay?” Scott asked hesitantly.

“I said, ‘I’m fine.’”

“Do you realize how suicidally crazy that was? What were you _thinking_ going after them?” Stiles asked her.

“I did it for Boyd. None of you were doing anything.” She glared at Ray. “You could heal me in seconds, but couldn’t do anything useful in a room full of water? You let him bleed out!”

Scott stepped forward, putting Ray behind him. “She did what she could. We’re trying.”

“And you’re failing. You’re just a bunch of stupid teenagers running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. All you really do is find the bodies.”

After dropping that on them, she stormed off in a very Hale like fashion. Her words were like a knife to an open wound. Ray hated herself for not being able to save Boyd.

“I’ll go make sure she gets home safe,” Stiles mumbled. He started to walk out of the locker room then turned back to give Ray an urgent look. This was their chance to ditch together like planned without Scott thinking anything of it. “Aren’t you coming?”

“What? I need to hold your hand every step of the way, Stilinski?”

The boy was suddenly a blushing, stuttering mess. He definitely wasn’t expecting her to do the whole _pretend they hate each other_ thing. “I-well, I wasn’t, I mean-“

“I think you can handle a car ride without me.” Ray looked past Stiles and caught eyes with the young Hale glaring at her from the doorway of the locker room. A tiny spark emitted from Ray’s fingertips.

There was a distant look on the boy's face like he wanted to say something more. Instead, he nodded to the group then nervously scratched behind his ear as he left the locker room, letting that unsaid thought hang over the heads of the other three he left behind.

“What was that about?” It was the first time Scott had directly asked about the lingering stares that had been going on between his two best friends.

And since it was the first time he asked, Ray hadn’t been prepared to lie. She spoke quickly like she was trying to get the words out or they would burn her tongue, “He probably just doesn’t want to hang out with a Hale alone. Can you blame him?”

Scott tilted his head to the side, clearly confused by the girl’s statement.

The redhead between them cleared her throat then pretended to fix her hair in the mirror as she said, “Seeing as we are all late to sixth period, we should probably stop hanging out in the locker room!” She linked arms with Ray to drag her away from and of McCall’s further questioning.

“Actually, I think I need to make a trip to the guidance counselor,” Scott said without looking at them. It felt strange making eye contact with Ray after she had just lied to him. Being able to detect when someone was lying was not something new to Scott, and Ray was fully aware of the ability.

So why had she lied? What was she hiding?

On their way back to class, Ray was complaining about the way Cora talked to them. It was obvious Ray wanted to say something more, and honestly, she seemed a little jealous. Lydia found this hilarious and was about to tease her friend when something tapped the side of her shoe. The feeling was so subtle, Lydia almost ignored it. Something inside of her urged her to look down to find a piece of chalk that seemed to have rolled out of the classroom next to them.

“I mean, come on. She shows up to our school, picks a fight with an Alpha without back up, then treats us like shit after we save her? That goes past the stone-cold Hale attitude. She’s so- Lydia?” Ray had to take a few steps back to where Lydia had paused in the hallway.

“Look at this,” Lydia stated, holding up the single piece of chalk.

“It’s a piece of chalk.”

“Yeah! But where do you think it came from?”

“A. . Chalkboard?”

Lydia scoffed and rolled her eyes. “But don’t you think it’s weird that it’s just rolling around in the hallway?”

Ray, who had no idea where Lydia was going with this, shrugged and said, “We’re in a school, Lyds.”

“Eights months of secret alone time with Stilinski and you didn’t pick up a single thing about investigating and detective work? Or were you too busy learning how to undo his boy scout belt to pick up on anything else?”

Lydia sure was lucky they were in an empty hallway because Ray would have died on the spot of someone overheard her saying something like that. Scott still didn’t know about the two, so Ray was trying to keep things on the down-low at school.

“Stiles doesn’t- he just wears a normal belt! But we’ve never- ugh! Never mind.”

Lydia gasped. “Really? Never? Huh. That’s weird.”

“I- how is it weird that we haven’t- You know what? I don’t want to talk about this. Let’s get back to your special piece of chalk.”

“No, no. I’m intrigued now. Why haven’t you had sex with him?”

Ray snatched the chalk from Lydia’s hand and stormed into the empty classroom behind her. The chalkboard was covered in a symbol of five circles that all overlapped like a venn diagram. It didn’t look familiar to Ray, but Lydia seemed entranced by the image. She took the chalk back from her friend and walked up to the board casually as if she was answering a question in math class.

“Do you know what it means?” When the redhead didn’t answer, Ray called out again, “Lydia?”

Lydia raised a hand to the board and drew the number two in one of the circles. The chalk fell from her painted fingertips and broke in half against the tiled floor. Ray didn’t have much time to decipher what it all meant before Lydia was letting out a piercing scream. Her sound seemed to echo off the chalkboard and hit Ray like a burst of energy. Ray stumbled back, trying to cover her ears while also maintaining balance.

After screaming, Lydia looked dazed, almost catatonic. That weird blast of energy made Ray hesitant to step toward her friend.

“Lydia?”

The other girl snapped out of it. Her vacant eyes now filled with tears and terror. “He was taken.”

“Who was taken?”

“Mr. Westover!” Lydia said as if she was annoyed she even had to explain herself. She quickly got out her phone to text the new information to Allison.

“Shouldn’t we tell a teacher-“ That earned a judgmental glare from Lydia, “. . Or someone? I don’t know! It seems like you discovered it early this time! Maybe we can find him.”

“Fine. Call Scott, and I’ll go get a teacher to call the police.”

Scott didn’t answer his phone, so Ray ended up leaving him a million messages. Eventually, Aiden came to comfort Lydia. Not wanting to be around one of the people who recently killed her friend, Ray decided to ditch the crowd of bystanders and go to her last ten minutes of calculus. Her teacher wasn’t happy with her being so late, but she was there in time to write down what problems were going to be on the homework. If she didn’t understand anything, Stiles would. And if he didn’t understand it, Lydia would.

Something Ray couldn’t get out of her head was the pattern seemed to be off. There were two groups left that it could be, Guardians and Philosophers. When Tara was taken, Ray and friends assumed the current pattern was Guardians, but now. . . How did Mr. Westover fit into that category?

While they were waiting for their cheer coach, Gabby was going on about this bone fire that one of the senior girls, Ashley Baker, was holding in memory of her boyfriend Kyle who had been one of the first few people to be sacrificed. His death was one of the most talked about in the schools because of his popularity and also where he had been found. He was the one the cross country team came across, and his girlfriend was among those, along with Ray and the boys, who saw him like that. Apparently, she was still shaken up over it, so her mother ordered two hundred of those floating lanterns for students to send up into the sky in his honor.

“It’s going to look like Tangled,” Gabby said dreamily. “Fletcher and I are going. He knew Kyle pretty well. They used to be in the same grade before he got held back. You’re coming too, right?”

Ray hardly found the idea as awe-worthy. Yes, the lanterns would be beautiful in the sky, but she couldn’t bring herself to romanticize Ashley losing her boyfriend. If Ray had lost Stiles, no amount of flowers or floating lanterns in the sky would make her feel like she was living in a Disney film. She’s be devastated.

“I think I’ll pass. After Boyd’s funeral, and that concert we have to go to tonight. . .”

“It’s a lot for you. I get it. I’ll send you pics, kay?”

Their cheer coach, Kacey, hurried into the field from her car in a rush. The clipboard she usually always had in her left hand was missing, and she was wearing jeans instead of her usual workout clothes. Everyone quickly quieted down. They all seemed to be in shock from the state of their coach since they had never seen her with such a serious look on her face.

“Listen, ladies. Practice is canceled today, and for the rest of the week. Some of you may not have heard yet, but another teacher is missing. Mr. Westover has been my neighbor and my very good friend since I moved to Beacon Hills. I know this town needs us to lift their spirits in these dark times, but I can’t justify spending time out here when I could be helping the search party.”

So Coach Kacey knew Mr. Westover well. Maybe she knew something about him that would qualify him for the Guardian category. That could help narrow down who might be taken next.

“That being said,” Coach Kacey went on, “I want you all to go straight home until the concert tonight. Please, please take this seriously. I can’t imagine losing one of you girls. Go home and be safe. Don’t go out after the concert tonight. Practice will resume Monday, if not, I’ll message you guys. Alright, let’s do our team chant. Everyone huddle up!”

The group of girls got in a circle with their right hands touching. Usually, they did this at the end of every practice, and everyone was smiling, high on endorphins. Now all the girls looked worried, some even on the verge of tears.

“Alright Miss Lydia, why don’t you- Where’s Lydia?” Coach asked.

“She’s the one who discovered Mr. Westover was missing,” Ray informed her solemnly.

“Oh, right then. Miss Raymona, why don’t you count us out?”

Ray’s hand in the pile suddenly felt clammy. She had never done the outro chant before. It seemed silly to be nervous over something so trivial, but she was scared her voice would crack or she wouldn’t say it loud enough.

The sooner she did it, the sooner it’d be over. . .

“LOOK OUT FOR THE-“

“CYCLONES!” The girls all finished as they threw their hands up.

It kind of felt good to tell like that.

As the girls started to disperse, Ray jogged up to their Coach. “Coach Kacey, can I ask you something?"

“What cha need, hun?” She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head to properly look at the girl.

“I was wondering if you knew if Mr. Westover was in the army or Peace Corps. If they talk about him tonight, I wanted to make sure he was properly honored.”

The smile on the woman’s face faltered for a second. “Well, he’s just missing, so I don’t know if they’ll be mentioning him much tonight. But no, David didn’t ever serve or anything. He spent most of his younger years in college getting that doctorate. You know, it was his dream to be a professor, and this job at the high school was only meant to be experience, but he fell in love with teaching younger minds. Said you guys had more potential than college students who didn’t bother to show up to class.”

“He’s a really cool teacher. As soon as the police form an official search party, my friends and I will be out there.” And before they form an official search party. . but Coach Kacey didn’t need to know that.

Since practice ended early, Ray changed and dragged her feet over to the band room. A terrifying cacophony of sounds came from the room as her stepbrother opened the door to meet her outside in the hall.

Danny was very apprehensive to give his stepsister his car keys. Did he want his stepmom to be at his performance? Of course! He just wished his dad had time to pick her up from work so that Ray didn’t have to borrow his car. She hadn’t driven much since getting her license, and Jackson told him a horror story of her driving the Porche one time after winter formal. Word on the street was she took turns a little too quickly, and Danny’s little Toyota was not as forgiving as a Porche.

“Please be careful,” Danny begged.

Ray rolled her eyes. “I’m just driving it to the hospital! Mom’s driving it back here then she’s going home with Marcus so you can drive it home. Nothing’s gonna happen to it.”

A tiny blue Toyota swerved out of the way of an ambulance speeding out of the hospital parking lot. The car hydroplaned then bounced as it ran over a curb and tore up a strip of the manicured grass, barely missing the sign to the hospital. A nervous laugh escaped through the girl’s lips as she drove off the curb and into a parking spot.

In her defense, she had never driven the rain before, and that ambulance totally came out of nowhere! The wind had started to pick up, so she ran into the hospital as fast as she could to warm up. Melissa McCall was at the front desk, shuffling through a pile of papers. She glanced up then did a double take, recognizing the girl who just walked in.

“Hey, hun. Your mom’s just finishing up some paperwork for Dr. Mikelson. Go ahead and have a seat.”

The girl nodded and found a waiting chair in the hallway to make home. The green chairs reminded her of those days she spent waiting to see if Lydia was okay. All the nurses speedwalking by made her a bit nervous. She wandered over to the vending machine to take a look.

It was filled with granola bars and healthy sandwiches. Not a single piece of candy in sight. She sighed and started to head back to her waiting chair when the front doors burst open.

“We’ve got a possible concussion here. She’s in and out,” it was the sheriff talking as he followed the EMTs into the hospital.

Melissa hurried around the front desk to meet with him. “Do you know what happened?”

“I don’t know how she hit her head, but she just collapsed.”

The sheriff seemed to freeze up at the sight of Ray jumping out of the paramedics’ way. Melissa followed along with the gurney to get the patient's information, leaving the sheriff and the teen girl alone in the waiting area.

Ray was beyond confused because she had healed Cora back in the locker room. Had something else happened? We’re they attacked? Did. . Did they get in a crash on the way to her house?

“Where’s Stiles?” The girl asked. The sheriff was taking too long to answer. Her heart dropped to her stomach. “Were they- were they in the jeep when-“

“No, no,” the sheriff said quickly. “He’s fine. He’s-“ the boy they were talking about sprinted into the hospital, breathing heavily. “He’s right there.”

The two teens collided. Stiles was warm and smelled slightly like peanut butter. He felt like home.

Ray whispered, “I thought-I thought you crashed-or, or-“

“No, no. She just collapsed! I-I don’t know what happened. One second she seemed fine and then she stood up and- I have no idea what happened.”

“What’s going on?” Sonia said as she came out of the office behind the registration desk.

“Cora’s hurt,” Ray told her. “Cora Hale.”

“She could have been poisoned like Danny,” Stiles added. “I mean, she got hit in the head pretty hard, but you healed her, right? So it must be something else.”

Ray nodded in agreement, but his father shook his head in disbelief. “When did she hit her head? Why the hell didn’t you tell the medics that?”

“Because Ray healed her, Dad, like I told you.”

It took a second for Ray to register if she had heard the boy correctly. He told his dad she could heal people? If Ray had known Stiles was going to be telling his dad, she would have gone with him earlier. She felt guilty that she hadn’t been there for him. Her eyes flickered over to her mother, remembering how scared she was to tell her everything at the start. Stiles had been there with her to explain things recently, and he had even done most of the talking.

“I can’t believe you’re still going on about that. Your friend probably has a _concussion_ , and you just wasted my time with all that crap instead of getting her help!” As the man raised his voice, Ray took a few subconscious steps toward her mother as if hiding behind her would make the yelling man any less frightening.

Stiles stepped toward his dad and asked, “What did you see the night at the bank when Scott was trying to save Deaton?”

“Nothing.”

“Dad, you saw him healing himself after he tried crossing the Mountain ash.”

“I don't know what I saw.”

“You saw something that you can't explain.”

“Stiles, I have seen a lot of things I can't explain in this town. That doesn't make 'em supernatural and it doesn't make 'em real.” Sonia took in a sharp breath out of shock. She couldn’t believe how far he was going to deny everything. He went on, “They just found another body. That's _real_. And that's the lead I'm following.”

“Yeah, and another teacher's going to die if you don't start listening to me,” Stiles begged, tears forming in his eyes.

“I am listening! I have been listening!”

“You just don't believe,” the boy whispered, “Mom would've believed me.”

That was the breaking point for Sonia. Memories of her old friend surfaced, and suddenly the Stiles in front of her was his ten-year-old self, crying and confused in a freshly empty hospital room. Sonia remembered holding him as he fell apart. Melissa had burst into the room as soon as she heard the news, completely abandoning her shift to sit with them until his dad got there.

The woman wiped her tears then whispered to her daughter, “Go with him. I’ll talk to Noah.”

“But- Danny’s concert.”

“Leave me the keys, and I’ll meet you there. Text me when you get there, okay?”

Once her daughter ran after the boy, Sonia walked up to Noah and swallowed her pride.

“Our kids have never been the most trustworthy, and combined, well. . . They always end up in some sort of trouble.” He seemed to agree with her statement with a nod. She then asked, “Do you remembered a few years after we met my niece went missing? She ended up being found in the forest. An animal attack. You were just a deputy back then.”

The man nodded, not entirely sure what the woman was getting at.

“I told you my sister in law left to go after who she blamed for the murder. You didn’t question my wording. Part of you knew that wasn’t just an animal attack. It was a murder.” Sonia sighed deeply. “You know, I just figured out teenagers recently. Marcus has been trying to tell me for a long time to listen to Ray, and I thought I was. I didn’t get it. But listening, really listening isn’t getting mad when she tells me things I don’t want to hear. I’m supposed to be the one giving her advice for her problems, not causing new ones. . . Noah, listen to Stiles. They need our help, not our judgment.”

Meanwhile, their kids were sat in a beat-up Jeep, still in the hospital parking lot. Stiles yelled out and hit his steering wheel. Ray didn’t bat an eyelash. When they were kids, before Stiles was prescribed anything, he used to lash out a lot. Sometimes it seemed like he felt everything a thousand times deeper than she and Scott did, especially when he was frustrated. He had been better about it recently, but the stakes were higher for him now that his dad knew everything.

Ray remembered what it felt like when her mother denied what was happening to her. It was like Sonia wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening until the problem went away, that problem being her daughter growing into her supernatural abilities. Ray felt ignored and unwanted.

“I hate him,” Stiles declared, saying it with his whole chest.

“No you don’t,” Ray said softly.

“No. . No I don’t.” He rubbed his face then glared out the window towards his dad’s police car.

“My mom is going to help, and now her and Melissa are able to talk to him about things. It’ll get easier from here on out, trust me. Things are even easy with my mom right now.” Those are words Ray never thought she’d be able to say, but it was true. Ray figured her mother would have been more strict after finding out she and Stiles were dating, but as long as Ray was honest with where she was, Sonia let her go.

Ray was quick to find her stepdad Marcus in the audience at the concert. She slid into the seat next to her brother Jayden to tell them her mom had Danny’s car keys and that she would be coming after finishing up something at the hospital. Danny had already taken his place on stage with the other band members. She gave him a thumbs-up, and he returned it with an awkward smile. When she got out her phone to snap a picture of him, he suddenly looked very embarrassed and tried to hide behind his music stand.

After taking the picture, a text from Scott flashed on her phone.

_Lydia’s missing_

At the back of the auditorium, Stiles and Scott were motioning for her to follow them outside. Leaving right before the concert started felt wrong. She frowned at Danny on the stage then leaned over to whisper to Marcus.

“They can’t find Lydia. I’m going to go check the girl’s room.”

“Okay. Wait at the back of the room until the song ends before you come back,” Marcus told her as she hurried off.

Running around the whole school had that odd feeling of deja vu. It was similar to the night the Alpha was chasing them around, except this time they knew even less information about the big bad was and the stakes were higher. They had Lydia, or at least that’s how it seemed.

They decided to check the parking lot for her car. Scott was yelling her name as soon as they burst through the front doors of the school. The lot was still filled with the sea of cars from the audience, and it was hard to tell which car was Lydia’s in the moonlight. Danny’s little blue Toyota usually stuck out like a sore thumb no matter where it was parked, but Ray didn't see it anywhere either. Had Ray’s mother not made it from the hospital yet?

Scott flashed his golden eyes and scanned the area looking for signs of heat. The lot seemed empty.

“Anything?” Stiles asked.

Scott shook his head no.

“Should we tell someone? Get a search party going?” Ray asked.

“Who’s gonna believe us? She’s only been gone ten minutes, if that. They’ll just say she wandered off.”

“She isn’t answering texts, that isn’t like her,” Stiles reminded him.

“I know that, but the police don’t.”

“Do you think it was the Alphas or the Darach?” Ray asked.

“Ethan and Aiden are still at the concert. They couldn’t have. Besides, Kali gave Derek until the next full moon before they do anything.”

Stiles didn’t like that answer. It required trusting the Alpha pack, something he’d never do. “How do you know they’ll keep their word?”

“I don’t!” Scott yelled out in frustration. “I don’t know anything for sure except that Lydia is missing! It doesn’t matter who took her. We have to- ah!” He covered his ears and bent over in pain.

Ray was doing the same. A high pitched scream was making her head feel like it was spinning. She grabbed into Stiles’s arm for support, but her hand slipped down the fabric of his flannel. His hands grabbed at her waist to hold her up.

Once the noise stopped, Scott said, “That’s her.” And then Scott was barreling back into the school to follow the scream. As soon as Ray found her footing, she was trying to follow, but Stiles didn’t let her go so easily.

“What the hell was that?!”

“That was Lydia! Didn’t you hear it?” Ray laced her finger between his and dragged him back into the school. Up ahead she saw Scott round a corner and started running after him.

“No?!” Stiles struggled to keep up since he was still trying to wrap his head around was just happened.

“She was screaming!”

“You and Scott were the ones screaming!”

Ray let go of his hand so that she could speed up and keep an eye on where Scott was headed. Scott made it to the classroom first and transformed, baring his teeth. By the time Ray made it in, Scott was flying through the air and hitting the stack of desks across the room. Her eyes narrowed as they landed on the person who threw him.

The boys’ English teacher who had subbed for chemistry last week, Ms. Blake, had Lydia ducktaped to a chair and their county Sheriff already on the floor and bleeding from where a knife was dug into the right side of his chest. A blue light flickered across Ray’s fingertips. Catching sight of it, Ms. Blake smirked and waved her hand before Ray could even make an advance toward the deranged teacher. The heavy desk from the front of the room came flying at the girl. Ray ducked out of the way just in time for the desk to slam into the door, locking them all in. Through the small window, Stiles could be seen panicking and banging against the door to get in.

Ray screamed out and charged at the teacher. A rope-like blue current whipped the woman in the chest and caused her to stumble back. For a second, the woman’s face flashed to a sickly grey with slashed across it. The sight had caused Ray to pause out of shock, not understanding what she just saw. The werewolves they normally dealt with never looked that horrifying.

Ms. Blake hadn’t stopped though. She was enraged that Ray had even been able to hit her in the first place. Before she knew it, a desk was being swung at Ray’s face. Her attempt to dodge it had resulted in it hitting her back and sending her face-first to the ground. With a groan, she pushed herself up onto her knees. Something hard smacked the back of her head, making her so dizzy she almost threw up.

In an attempt to calm her stomach, she rested her cheek against the cool tile floor and closed her eyes. The teacher kicked the girl’s body over so that she was laying on her back. Seeming satisfied that Ray was down for the count, Ms. Blake walked over to the Sheriff to deal with him.

There were whispered of a conversation that Ray was in too much pain to listen to. A gunshot rang out. Had someone been hurt? Ray dared to drag herself toward Lydia since the teacher’s focus was on the sheriff. Using the arm of the chair Lydia was trapped in, Ray pulled herself to sit up. The room started to spin again, so she rested her head against Lydia’s legs, telling herself it would be for just a moment.

The loud crash of glass breaking woke her up from her mini nap. Stiles had finally shoved the giant desk out of the way to get into the room, but he was a second too late.

“Dad?”

The sheriff was gone, taken by the Darach. Guardians were the last group left. It was the sheriff’s job to protect the county. Now Blake just needed two more Guardians and her sacrifices would be complete. If she was already this powerful, how much worse could it get?

Ray’s weak hands tugged on the ducktape around Lydia’s wrists. She managed to get one off before Scott came over and slashed the rest of the bindings with his claws. Ray hummed in appreciation then went back to leaning her head against Lydia’s thigh. The other girl wasn’t having it though. She nudged Ray and told her to stay awake.

“We need to tell Derek,” Lydia told the two boys. They were currently distracted with Ray, both kneeling in front of her. Scott was taking some of her pain away while Stiles combed his finger through her hair to find where she had been hit.

“I like when you play with my hair,” Ray mumbled dreamily.

“Oh, she definitely has a concussion,” Lydia said. “I’ll call Derek and give him the heads up. Then I’ll tell Ethan and Aiden so they can help search.”

“We’ll pick up Derek then take her to the hospital,” Scott said as he lifted Ray up.

“Scotty, there’s two Stiles. Did you see that? Two.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Scott joked.

“No, it sounds nice. Double the fun. . .Twice the kisses. . .”

Scott narrowed his eyes at Stiles who was blushing and scratching behind his ear. The boy squirmed under his best friend's accusatory gaze. His voice was an octave higher as he said, “She hit her head really hard, huh? Talking nonsense.”

Scott wanted to believe his best friend. Really, he wanted to trust Stiles was telling the truth. But they mysteriously showed up to the concert together holding hands earlier. Things were starting to add up, Scott wasn’t blind to it.

He just didn’t understand why they wanted to keep it from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t want this to come off like I don’t like Cora. I wish she was in the show more! But, I am not Ray 😂
> 
> Very exciting for this upcoming finale. I love the action-y, angsty stuff.
> 
> What’s your favorite season of Teen Wolf?  
> Mine used to be 1&2, which I still would rather watch than anything else, but. . oh man. . Season 4 is so much fun to write! I’ve tweaked the dynamics for it slightly and it just *chefs kiss* The problem is that I have to watch it to write it though.


	34. Hopeless Heroes

They had been lucky to beat Jennifer to Derek’s loft. Their timing ended up not mattering that much anyway. Her lying was so bad, Derek probably wouldn’t have believed her. But, there was still something Jennifer held over their heads. She was the only one who knew how to save Cora and where the sheriff was. In exchange for Derek’s help, Jennifer agreed to tell him how to save his sister. This plan wasn’t ideal, it relied on trusting someone who had already killed twelve people on her quest for power. Stiles and Scott agreed to follow along to make sure Jennifer didn’t try anything. They needed to go to the hospital anyway to drop Ray off. And who knows, maybe they would find information about Stiles’s dad along the way.

The parking lot to the hospital was nearly empty save a few cars. A small, blue Toyota was still parked out front where Ray had left it earlier that night. No wonder she didn’t see it parked at the school. Her mother never left the hospital.

That strong wind from earlier had picked up enough to knock down a few branches outside, and the rain had fallen enough to submerged parts of the asphalt. Ray’s sneakers were completely soaked by the time they made it to the front door. Even just that short run from the jeep had exhausted Ray. Her brain was still foggy from getting hit, and with how today was going, she didn’t think it would be able to heal anytime soon.

Derek, Jennifer, and Scott rushed into the hospital and were stopped by Melissa. Ray reached to push open the glass doors and join them, but seemingly out of the blue, Stiles put a heavy hand on her shoulder so that she’d look at him. A worried panic flashed across his eyes before cupping her cheek gently.

“Are you doing this?”

She huffed in annoyance. Her headache made her a bit irritable, so his genuine concern came off as condescending and accusatory to her. With a harsh scowl, she pushed his hand off her cheek.

There was a venom in her tone he hadn’t heard in a while, “I’m not the cause of every storm. Sometimes it just rains, you know.”

The boy’s shoulders slouched in defeat. He hadn’t meant to offend her. “I know that, Ray. I’m just checking on you.” His soft tone suddenly changed to a light hearted one in hopes of making her smile. “And- you know, making sure you don’t make a branch fall onto my windshield. Jeeps- so expensive to fix.”

Then he did that signature wink he gave whenever he thought he was being funny. She knew instantly he was trying to diffuse the situation, hoping to distract her focus from causing the storm in case it really was her emotions controlling it. The joking around was making her feel better, so could she really be mad? A small smile broke through her moody expression causing Stiles to give her a big cheesy grin. He had succeeded in making her smile. The rain was still pouring, so it really must not have been her. .

But the joking around came to a swift end when they walked through the double doors and were faced with their best friend and his mom.

“Why does Stiles have my bat?”

“Mom, just trust me on this. You and Sonia need to get out of here. Right now.” His mother’s paled expression prompted Scott to ask, “What is it?”

“I’ve actually been looking for Sonia for the last thirty minutes.” Her eyes flickered to Ray, offering the young girl a sorrowful look. “She could have gotten on a transport van with patients who needed oxygen, but I’ve been asking and. . no one saw her leave.”

“Maybe she went to the concert like she was planning,” Stiles offered.

Ray shook her head no. “The Toyota‘s still in the parking lot. . . You,” she growled, turning to the teacher.

The woman’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t take her.”

“You’re lying!” Ray yelled then grabbed the woman’s throat.

Stiles and Scott scrambled to hold Ray back as Derek tugged Jennifer a few steps down the hall. The floor started to spin. Ray closed her eyes and tried not to be sick. Her body slumped in the boys’ hold.

Melissa was at the girl’s side in an instant. Her hand pressed gently on Ray’s back as the nurse looked her up and down. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Concussion,” Scott told his mom. “We were hoping to get her seen here. .”

“She needs to be lying down, not running around with you guys. Hey, Stingray, come with me.”

The girl shrugged her two friends off of her then stood up straighter. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. I just saw you have a dizzy spell. Your symptoms are only going to get worse if you keep pushing yourself. Now, I’m going to take you to a room to lie down,” the mother paused and looked between the two boys who seemed rather uneasy from the suggestion of parting ways with their friend. “You two listen up. The building is supposed to be clear in thirty minutes. We’ve got two ambulances that are coming back. One’s ten minutes out, the other’s 20. I’ll have Ray on the first one, but you guys need to make sure Cora gets in one of those. They’ll be picking up in the basement garage.”

“Got it,” Scott told her. He squeezed Ray’s shoulder then guided everyone else down the hall, including Stiles who needed a slight nudge of encouragement to leave her behind. “My mom’s gonna take care of her,” Scott whispered to the other boy.

“No, I know, I just-“ He nervously adjusted his grip on the bat in his hands. “We shouldn’t be separating. Not now. Not when we don’t know what people are planning.”

Hospital beds weren’t comfy. The pillows and sheets smelled like bleach, the mattress creaked with every adjustment, and no matter how long someone rested in one, it was impossible to feel warm. You would think Ray would be thankful for the quiet room, but now that she wasn’t running around, her adrenaline that had been masking her headache seemed to drain out of her. Every ruffle of the sheets made her grit her teeth.

Once Ray was settled in the room, Melissa left with the promise that she’d bring back water and something to help with the headache. Ray was surprised to see she had a few texts from Allison. Apparently, Lydia had been taken to a hospital a few towns over to get her neck seen. She and Isaac were on their way with her dad to help get Cora out. Ray sent her back a warning text that Derek and the boys were working with Jennifer.

A loud crash from the floor above had Ray scrambling out of the bed. The lights in her room flickered from the crashes. In hopes of finding Melissa to tell her something was wrong, Ray wandered out into the hallway. Two sets of footsteps rounded the corner, and when she turned she was faced with Kali and Deucalion. Ray took a few careful steps backward toward the elevator. She’d never be able to take them on alone, not even without a concussion.

Behind her, the elevator dinged open like whatever was above was answering Ray’s prayers. But that big entity in the sky must have had a sick sense of humor because Jennifer Blake stepped out of the elevator just as Ray stumbled into it. The young girl flinched away from the woman, knowing what she was capable of and well aware that the teacher probably wasn't happy with her after Ray tried choking her just minutes ago. Blake narrowed her eyes at the girl then turned on her heel and froze, noticing the two Alphas standing down the hall.

Deucalion took a piece of his walking stick off to reveal a sharp dagger at the end. He threw it at the woman like a spear, barely missing her head. Ray started aggressively pressing all the buttons to make the doors close. Just as they started to, Jennifer backed into the elevator with her. The handrail was pressed firmly into Ray’s lower back as she tried to get as far from the Darach as possible. Kali was snarling and sprinting down the hall toward them. The Alpha slammed her hands into the elevator doors when they were just inches from closing. She let out a growl that vibrated the whole elevator. The doors were no match for her strength, so she started to pry them back open.

“Do something,” Jennifer yelled to the younger girl as if expecting Ray to protect her at her beck and call.

Ray didn’t move. The Alphas weren’t after her, they wanted Jennifer. To be honest, the world might spin a lot smoother if she let the Alphas take the other woman.

Then the Darach’s eyes flashed a deadly white as she slammed her hands against the elevator doors. A strange force made Kali fly back on impact. The doors shut despite the fresh dents in them. Jennifer leaned against the railing next to Ray, breathing heavily. Ray was quick to move to the opposite end again, making sure not to have her back to the woman.

When the elevator opened on the next floor up, Jennifer smirked and launched forward, grabbing Ray by the arm.

“Let’s go find your friends, shall we?”

A low roar resembling a lion shook the halls. Despite every fiber in Ray’s body wanting to run away from the sound, Jennifer dragged her down the hall toward it. The lights flickered again then stayed off, leaving just the sickening glow of the emergency lights.

Meanwhile, the boys had finally lost sight of the twins and were able to rush into a storage room. Peter set Cora down on a table to check her breathing. There were doors on both ends of the room, leaving them rather exposed. It wouldn’t be safe to stay here long.

“Where’s the big guy?” He asked.

“He’s close,” Derek told him.

“What about Ms. Blake?” Stiles asked. He looked from Derek to Scott who shook his head no. “What do you mean? What does that mean? Like she’s gone? Scott, are you _kidding_ me? You guys let her run loose in a hospital with-“

“Shh, quiet,” Derek chastised him.

“ _Me_ be quiet? Me, huh?” Stiles got in the man’s face. “Are you telling me what to do now? When your psychotic, mass murdering girlfriend- the second one you’ve dated by the way- has got my dad somewhere tied up, waiting to be ritually sacrificed and Ray stuck lying in a hospital bed, hoping she wakes up from a nap without a lifelong brain injury while a pack of fucking _murdering alphas_ runs around hoping to find us?”

Scott put his hand on his best friend’s shoulder, “Stiles, you’re right, okay? The alphas are still out there-“

“And- and they want her, right? But we don’t have her anymore either,” Stiles reminded him, “Which means my dad and Cora are both dead.”

“Not yet,” Scott insisted desperately. He looked over Cora’s pale face and asked, “Is she really dying?”

“She’s definitely not getting any better,” Peter told him.

“There has to be something that we can do. We have to help her. .”

The second set of doors burst open. Jennifer practically dragging Ray kicking and screaming inside. By now, she was beyond tired of dealing with the girl’s sharp tongue as they wandered through the halls. The men all froze in shock, not expecting she’d willingly come back.

“You can’t. Only I can. I can save her and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is, but there is a pack of alphas in this hospital that want me dead. So I’ll help you. . . but only when I’m out of here and safe.” She threw Ray toward Stiles who caught the girl and held her close.

Derek shoved a tray of supplies to advance at the woman. Stiles quickly spun around so it would hit his feet and not Ray’s. Scott held Derek back, urging him to wait.

Derek growled. “She was trying to get out!”

“I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that,” she bit back.

“If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her,” Stiles demanded, nodding to Cora.

“If I wanted you all dead, I wouldn’t have saved her from Deucalion and Kali,” she said, glaring at Ray who was refusing to look up at anyone. The girl had her eyes closed and focused on the sound of Stiles’s heartbeat in hopes that it would calm her own. Blake went on, “I’ll heal her when I’m safe.”

Peter spoke up, “I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion. Let's torture her.”

“Works for me,” Derek said. Scott tried to hold them both back until Melissa’s voice came through the hospital’s intercom, distracting everyone.

“Um, can I have your attention? Mr. Deucalion. . excuse me, just Deucalion- Requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes.”

That could have been Ray just as easily as it was Melissa being taken by Deucalion. Knowing that Stiles laid his cheek on the top of Ray’s head and tried to not think about what he would have done if the Alphas had her. He couldn’t do much just being human and now without even a measly bat for a weapon.

“He's not gonna hurt her,” Jennifer told them.

“Shut up,” Derek seethed.

She was quick to defend herself, “He won't! Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true.”

Stiles and Ray both frowned. They had no idea what Jennifer was trying to get at. Their best friend tensed and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

“What does she mean?” Derek asked. Scott refused to answer.

Instead, Jennifer told them, “You're not the only one he wants in his pack. Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack. He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of alphas to his ranks.”

“A true alpha,” Peter clarified. Things seemed to make sense to him now. The two teenagers huddled together in the back of the room were still confused. Since when were there different types of alphas? That had never come up in Stiles’s research.

“What's that?” Stiles asked curiously.

“The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another. One that can rise by the force of his own will. Our little Scott.”

A True Alpha. . Huh. Scott was known for wanting to help others, sure. He had that hero trope of trying to save everyone and constantly failing. Even Jackson, who made his life hell at school for years, was worth being saved in Scott’s eyes. It would have been easier just to kill the kanima, but Scott wouldn’t have been able to live with that.

Ray thought about all those nights they spent on the roof talking about how much of a struggle everything has been. They were kids. They didn’t have answers to these big supernatural mysteries, but Scott always tried and even made an effort to better himself in the process. He knew he hadn't been prepared sophomore year, so he spent the whole summer reading up and training, hoping his efforts would make him a better student, friend, and son.

Was that enough to make someone a true alpha? All the alphas Ray knew of seemed to seek power, whether that was getting revenge on anyone tied to the fire that burned down their family, biting teenagers to form a pack, or even killing their own pack to absorb their power and become part of some sick and twisted Alpha Allstars. Scott didn’t seem like the person to do any of those types of things, but maybe that’s what set him apart from the rest. Maybe that’s what made him rare.

“It doesn't matter,” Scott insisted. He hated being the center of attention. “We still need to get Cora and Ray out of here.”

“Scott, your mom. .,” Stiles reminded him.

“My _mom_ said there's one more ambulance coming in 20 minutes. And I don't think we've been here that long, so if we can get down to the garage, get to the last ambulance, we can get out of here.”

“The twins aren't gonna let us just walk out,” Derek said.

Scott nodded, “That’s why I'll distract them.”

“You mean fight them.”

“Whatever I have to do.”

“I'll help you,” Derek told him.

Jennifer shook her head no. “Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek.”

Peter surprised everyone by saying, “I’ll do it. But I'd prefer to be out there with an advantage.”

“An advantage like what? You mean like a weapon?” Stiles asked.

“Something better than a baseball bat,” Peter looked to Ray.

“Where is Melissa’s bat,” Ray wondered.

Stiles laughed nervously, “Ah, um- It snapped.”

“He hit the twins over the head with it,” Scott admitted.

“You all rested up, or what?” Peter asked the girl.

Stiles tightened his hold on her. “She’s not going up against them like this.”

“I can fight,” Ray said.

Scott stood between Peter and Stiles, saying, “Not her. My mom said she’d get worse if she keeps pushing it. We’ll find something else.”

“What’s better than a siren, Scott? Are you forgetting what we’re up against?”

All it took was one teary eyed look from Stiles for Scott to firmly say, “We’re not using Ray. There has to be something here we can use.”

Everyone started to rummage around for a weapon of sorts. Ray had no idea what she was meant to be looking for, and she wasn’t really paying attention either. All she could think about was Stiles running at that horrific, giant monster the twins morph into. They were apart for what, like ten minutes max and he did something so heroically idiotic.

There was a lot she wanted to say, but she was biting her tongue because the last thing she wanted to do was fight in front of the others, especially not at a time like this. Everything she wanted to say sounded rude in her head anyway. Asking your boyfriend what the _hell_ he thought he was doing seemed condescending. Reminding him he couldn’t heal like Scott was pointless. Even though she agreed to herself she’d keep quiet, words still slipped from her lips as she yanked open a drawer a little too aggressive.

“. . can believe he just. .-“ She fumbled with trying to get the drawer she had just broken back on its track so that it would close, “-running at the twins-so stupid.”

Freckled hands grabbed the drawer firmly and wiggled it back into place for her. Her heart sank. She hadn’t known he was behind her and could hear her muttering.

“Guess now you know how I felt about the vault,” he whispered before grabbing at the defibrillator from on top of the drawers she had been searching through. He held them up to everyone else. “Hey, wait. What about these?”

“Do you know how to use those?” Derek asked.

“Well, no,” he admitted, “But Ray took a class once that-“

“Put 'em down.”

Stiles nodded and put the device down. That class had briefly gone over the use of them, but that was on a person who was lying down and dying. Ray wasn’t too sure how Peter would manage to use them on a giant monster.

Scott held up a needle. “Epinephrine?”

“That's only gonna make him stronger,” Derek said.

Peter turned to look at the needle, asking, “ _How_ strong?”

They made it to the garage safely, and the ambulance was even still there. Stiles jumped in first to help put Cora onto the stretcher in the back. Jennifer had walked around to the side of the ambulance with Ray on her heels to make sure she wasn’t trying to get away. A body had bled out, lying face down on the cement. Ray’s knees felt shaky and her hands went numb.

It was the paramedic.

Jennifer called out, “Derek, over here.”

“Julia,” Kali taunted as she rounded around the front of the ambulance, swinging the keys in her clawed hands. “It is you.”

Derek pushed Ray behind him and whispered, “Get inside.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. Stiles was quick to lock the doors as soon as Ray hiked herself up into the back. The two slowly backed up onto the bench. Derek and Jennifer rushed past the windows, Kali not too far behind them. Stiles started chewing on his nails and Ray rested her head on his shoulder. Hopefully, her headache would diminish now that they were resting.

The air around them felt like it was getting thicker, harder to breathe. Maybe that was just Ray’s mind playing tricks on her. All day she had been on edge. At first, it was fall out from finding Tara’s body the night before. Then she struggled with how frustrated their lives had become. It seemed insane they didn’t even have a moment to grieve losing their friend. The concert was meant to be the time the whole town finally got to let it all out and cry over all the lives that had been taken recently.

But of course, that was ruined with the Darach taking Lydia then the Sheriff. On top of that, her mother was missing. It was likely she was taken, but Ray didn’t know what she could do about it. She couldn’t even tell her stepdad since they were stuck in a fucking ambulance without service alongside a girl who was on the verge of death.

“I should have gone with you,” Ray whispered.

Stiles, having no idea what she was referring to, frowned and tilted his head in confusion. “Melissa wouldn’t have let you, not after seeing you like that.”

“Not then, earlier, at the school when you took her home,-“ She nodded to Cora’s body. “I didn’t go because I was mad at what she said, really I just didn’t want to admit out loud that she was right. I stayed at school to avoid thinking about it. It was selfish and- fuck, Stiles if I had known you were going to tell your dad,” her voice got hoarse as she tried to keep herself from crying.

The way his thumb grazed across the back of her hand to comfort her only made her feel worse. She was such a mess lately. This year wasn’t supposed to be like this at all! Ray was meant to join cheer and get fit while meeting new people who invited her to hang out and do things that didn’t involve life-threatening activities. They were supposed to tell Scott about them so that things could finally feel real. At first, the sneaking around was fun, but now she just wanted to be able to hold her boyfriend close when they were under attack and kiss him goodbye when they had to split up in efforts of saving the day or whatever the hell was on the supernatural agenda for that week.

“Hey, don’t do that to yourself. I know, okay? I know you would have been there if you had known.”

“You were there for me when I had to tell my mom things, but I wasn’t there for you. I could have helped. I could have flashed my eyes or whatever and made him believe you.”

“Listen, telling him was a last-minute decision. If I had the time, I would have taken Cora home and told you what was happening, but honestly? I freaked out and made a spur of the moment choice. Was it a good one? No, well- it could have been if she didn’t decide to faint and knock over the chessboard.” He chuckled and looked over at the girl lying on the stretcher. “Wh- why does she look like she’s not breathing?”

“Fuck,” Ray cursed as she tore her hands away from Stiles’s to check the other girl’s pulse. There wasn’t any sign of it in her wrist, so Ray put two fingers in the girl’s neck and silently prayed for any bit of movement.

Nothing.

“Because she isn’t breathing, is she?” The boy went on, “Oh, no. Oh, God. Oh, no, no, no.” While Stiles freaked out, Ray moved to the other side of the ambulance to have the space to lean over Cora. “What are you doing?”

“Chest compressions. You do the breaths of air.”

“But I don’t- I don’t know how-“

“Tilt her head back. I do the thirty compressions. Check her airway then once I’m done, give her a breath that lasts one second.”

“How long is a second?!”

There wasn’t time to calm Stiles down. Ray got started on the chest compressions and hoped she was doing them correctly. She had only seen it done outside of the CPR class once when Jackson was down on the field. That night was a vague memory. So much had gone on that Ray had elected to block out.

As Ray was doing the compressions, Stiles started talking himself through it, “Okay, okay. You can do this. Here we go, tilt the head. Clear the throat. Great, nothing. I see nothing. Okay, alright, so, uh-“

“Pinch the nose,” Ray stuttered out breathlessly. Thankfully this time, Stiles did as told without freaking out first. Once Ray counted out loud to thirty, she told Stiles, “Now, do it now!”

Stiles pinched Cora’s nose and brought his lips to her’s. Ray found herself looking away and feeling a bit overwhelmed. None of this was sexual in any way, but it still felt intimate and awkward. Stiles stayed leaned in close to Cora if she was breathing.

“It. . It worked,” he said in amazement. He leaned back on the bench and smiled wide. “Holy shit! That was fucking badass! Oh my god, I thought you were gonna have to like- shock her heart or something, but we did it!”

A certain line kept playing over and over in Ray's head.

_You let him bleed out!_

It was hard to enjoy their success with that going on in her head and her concussion getting worse again from overworking herself on those compressions. Her eyesight got a little fuzzy, but it wasn’t bad enough that she was seeing double again.

“Stiles, I can’t- I can’t reverse whatever Jennifer did. Cora’s dying. We can’t keep bringing her back to life over and over stuck in this fucking ambulance. And- and your dad, and my mom- I don’t know if-” She put her head in her hands and let her hair fall down like a curtain, hoping to hide away from this shitty day.

Stiles maneuvered around the gurney and sat practically on top of Ray from how close he was. In his defense, these benches had very little space. His hand rubbed Ray’s back as he promised, “We’ll get out of here in time to find my dad and your mom, alright? Trust me, if anyone's gonna get us out of this, it's Scott.” Those words caused Ray to look up at him with a judging look. He chuckled and rubbed his face. “Can't believe I just said that.”

“We just found out who the Darach is a couple hours ago. She is using Derek as a human shield against a pack of alphas. And Scott has to work with Peter, so any plan he might have for getting us out of this is probably being ruined by Peter’s giant ego as we speak. We’re probably going to be stuck here all night without knowing what to do.”

“We still have time. She needs three, right?”

“Three what, Stiles, _guardians_? Haven’t you noticed there isn’t a pattern between my mom and your dad. My mom isn’t the guardian of anything. She’s just a respiratory therapist. Your dad is a protector of the town, a guardian. He’s probably still alive somewhere, but my mom? What use does Jennifer have keeping her alive if she doesn’t fit the pattern? And Scott’s plan to get us out? It already failed. Kali has the keys, the driver’s dead, and Derek ran off to protect Jennifer.”

Her words seemed to break Stiles’s spirit. His hand stopped rubbing her back to that he could run it over his messy hair.

“You know, I actually used to be the one with the plan. Well, or at least a plan B. Now- I don't know. Now I'm thinking maybe Cora was right. You know, maybe- maybe we are pretty much useless. Maybe all we really do is show up and find the bodies.”

So the girl laying in front of them had been haunting him with her words as well. Ray took the boy's hand and squeezed it, wishing she could take away pain like Scott could.

“I don't want to find my father's body,” he whispered.

Ray brought him into a tight hug and promised they’d find him alive. With her arms around him, Stiles broke down in tears. They didn’t say anything for a while until he sat up and looked at the wet spot he made on her shoulder.

Of course, Stiles had to make a joke to break the tension, “Geez, can’t believe I just kissed another girl in front of you and I’m the one crying.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she whispered as she played with his hair gently, taming it from all the running around they had been doing.

“Do what?”

“Joke around to make me feel better. You don’t have to mask yourself with me. It’s okay to not be in a good mood all the time.”

He had spent the night trying to pretend like things were better off than they were in his head. Scott was so optimistic all the time, and Stiles wished he could be that. Seeing only the bad outcomes was draining. But Ray didn’t know that he was in a better mood now that she was right in front of him again. It wasn’t that he was joking around to hide his thoughts, he just felt like he could joke around now that he knew she was safe. One less thing to worry about on their hopeless quest to save everyone.

That monster the twins formed into stormed past the ambulance on the hunt for Jennifer. Ray’s hand clutched the collar of his shirt. Stiles kissed her forehead and promised it would be okay. They weren’t looking to harm them or Cora.

A hand slapped against the window of the ambulance. The two broke apart so Stiles could open the door for Scott and Peter. The boys laid Peter on the bench across from Ray.

“Derek and Jennifer had to make a run for it. Kali was here,” Stiles told him.

“I know. Derek texted me. The power’s out so they're stuck in the elevator. I have to go back for them and my mom.”

“Okay, two problems. Kali's got the keys to this thing, and I just saw the twins, like, 30 seconds ago.”

“Stay here.”

“You can’t go alone,” Ray said as she started to get up from the bench.

Stiles’s trembling hands pulled her back to him. “No, no. Ray, no.”

“Ethan won’t hurt me because of Danny. If I can get them to separate-“

“You’re already hurt. You- you could barely handle those chest compressions-“

“I can’t stay here! Not knowing Scott’s out there alone!”

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to take his hands off her. His lips parted like he wanted to say something more. The tear rolling down his cheek was enough to know what was going on in his head. Scott couldn’t handle seeing his best friend like that.

“Just tell her,” Scott said.

The freckled boy tilted his head. A worry hit his chest like a stabbing pain. Scott knew. This isn’t how they wanted him to find out.

Scott went on, “Don’t let me be the reason you don’t say it. Don’t put that guilt on me. It’s the same thing you wanted to say that night we went to get Boyd and Cora from the vault, right? You didn’t say it because I could hear you.”

“Scotty,” Ray whispered, clearly on the verge of tears.

“I’m not mad, I just don’t want to be the reason you don’t tell her.” It was true, Ray was reading Scott’s emotions and all he felt was remorse.

“He doesn’t have to. I know,” she insisted. Stiles’s hand slipped from her arm. Ray stepped out of the ambulance then looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend. “He tells me everyday.”

Scott nodded at Stiles then smiled down at Ray. “As he should.”

With a new sense of determination, Stiles hopped down from the ambulance and softly slid a hand behind her neck so that he didn’t hurt her anymore than she already was. His lips landed on hers like she was delicate, but the hand on her hip was gripping the fabric of her shirt tight enough to make his knuckles go white. Never before had he wanted to cry as he kissed her, but he couldn’t help the teardrops rolling down his cheeks.

For Ray, kissing in front of Scott was almost as bad as the thought of kissing Stiles like this in front of her mother. Her cheeks went red with embarrassment and her heart raced as a sense of adrenaline surged through her. Her hands were numb from the thrill, but she desperately tried to remember how his chest and neck felt beneath them as they slid up to tangle in the hair at the back of his neck. A small part of her worried this might be the last time she saw him.

The same red cheeks could be seen on Scott McCall who was doing everything he could to divert his attention somewhere else. When he spoke up about it, he expected Stiles to just tell Ray he loved her, not eat her face off.

“Okay you two, just because I’ve been wanting this to happen for years doesn’t actually mean I want to witness it. And like- people are dying.”

“Sorry,” Stiles mumbled as he broke away from the kiss. “Come back to me okay? Both of you.” He looked to Scott. “I need both of you.”

Whoever shut off the power knew where to go to do so. Scott assumed it must have been his mother and that she could have still been on the roof with Deucalion. The plan was to take the stairs the four floors up, get the power back on, and find Scott’s mom, but Scott and Ray only made it to the first floor. A low growl came from the flight of stairs above them followed by a heavy set of footsteps charging down. Scott ushered Ray out of the stairwell then Ray handed him a chair to lock the door handles together.

The massive creature kicked right through it, snarling and looking absolutely terrifying in its giant, ugly form. Scott and Ray jumped back. Their sneakers squeezed as they spun around to make a run for it.

“The other staircase-,” Scott yelled breathlessly.

“It’s on the other side of the hospital!” Ray yelled back. She wouldn’t be able to outrun that mega werewolf creature for long enough to make it there, even with her cross country training. She stopped running, knowing what she had to do.

“Ray!” Scott called out.

“I’ll hold them off! Go! Find your mom!” She took in a deep breath. The hallway lit up from the waves of electricity climbing from her fingertips to her wrists. The twins stopped in their tracks and growled, daring her to come forward.

Scott stepped beside her and brought out his claws. “If we do this, then we do this together.”

Ray nodded. Thunder boomed above loud enough to shake the building. The twins hadn’t known the full extent of Ray’s power. They seemed shocked by the sea green glow of her eyes, but she didn’t give them time to snap back. Ray came at them and grabbed their arms with her hands. In her head, they were going to immediately turn back to their human form and stumble back. In reality, the creature just roared and slammed her into a wall.

“Where is she?!” The creature demanded.

She still had her grip on their arms. Memories of that night in the loft with Boyd and all the painful thoughts resurfaced. Her necklace started to heat up with all the emotions it was trying to suppress. The sadness, the guilt, the anger. It was the anger that made her stronger.

Suddenly the lightning was so blinding, Scott had to cover his eyes. The twins’ monstrous face was splitting into two. If not for the stone on Ray’s chest burning her skin, she might have been able to split the two apart completely. One of her hands slipped from the twins’ arm to subconsciously rip off the necklace, but this caused the twins to regain their strength and form together again. They threw her against the tiled floor then were met with a kick to their side from Scott.

Ray gasped and grabbed at her necklace as Scott took over the fight for her. The skin underneath was inflamed and tender like a flame had been pressed to it. Before she could even push herself up off the floor, the twins had Scott in a chokehold against the wall.

“We're trying not to hurt you,” they told him.

“Try harder,” Scott said breathlessly as he pulled against their restraints.

“Hey!” That voice. . Scott and Ray both had an instant resurgence of hope as Melissa rounded the corner with a defibrillator in her hands. “I'd like to try something.”

When the paddles pressed against the twins’ chest at full power, the two instantly broke apart and fell to the ground. Scott slumped down next to them, but his mother was quick to offer him a hand up.

“Sweetheart, get up!”

“Holy shit,” Ray breathed out, earning a warning glare from Melissa as they jogged down the hall. “Sorry, sorry. Language. I know, but- how?”

Scott finished her thought for her since she seemed to be struggling, “How’d you get away from him?”

“He just let me go, said it was a gesture of goodwill. No other reason.”

“He had to have a reason. I don't think he does anything without a reason.”

Ray spoke up. “Maybe the goodwill was the reason. He wants you in his pack, right? You wouldn’t go if he hurt your mom.”

An odd clicking came from around the corner. The three stopped to listen. Each of them had been imagining that spear on the end of Deucalion’s walking stick tapping against the floor. Scott motion for the women to stay while he peeked around the corner. He let out a sigh of relief at what he saw.

“Oh, thank god,” Ray mumbled as she ran at Isaac to hug him. Allison was next to be embraced by the shorter girl, much to her surprise. She timidly glanced at Scott seemingly for approval before hugging Ray back. A warm blush rose to Ray’s cheeks as the other girl pressed her hands against her back. She hoped the hallway was dark enough to hide the evidence.

“Let’s get you guys out of here,” Chris Argent told them.

“We can’t,” Ray said as she broke away from Allison. “Stiles and Cora are still in the basement.”

“And Derek is in the elevator with Jennifer,” Scott added. “The power is still off.”

Everyone followed Chris into a room so that they weren't discussing plans out in the hall for the alphas to overhear. He asked, “So then they're essentially trapped?”

“Yeah, right.”

“There's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on,” Isaac realized.

Melissa spoke up, “But wait, wait, wait, if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?"

“And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops. We can't get in a fight with them.” Scott said. His eyes flickered to Ray who was leaning all her weight against the table.

“You've got us now,” Chris told him.

“Ray has a concussion. She’s not going to last fighting much longer-“

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t,” Melissa told her in a very stern mom tone.

Scott looked to Chris. “It's too much to risk. They want Jennifer dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora. That’s the only reason we’ve been trying to protect her this whole time.”

“I don't even think I know which teacher this is,” Chris said.

“She's- she's the one with the brown hair,” Isaac blurted out. “She's kind of hot.” Most people in the room rolled their eyes or glared at him, so he quickly backtracked, “Nah, it's, uh- just an observation.”

Ray tucked her hair nervously behind her ear before whispering, “Well, he’s not wrong.” She side-eyed her blonde friend. They both had to bite their tongues to stop themselves from laughing.

Scott sighed and hung his head low. Allison’s lips parted in shock. Her eyes seemed to look Ray up and down before glancing away at the mirror on the wall. The hunter’s face scrunched up, deep in thought.

“What is it?” Ray asked her.

“I've got an idea.”

While watching the rearview mirror, Ray nervously played with her necklace. She flinched as her nail accidentally scratched across the burnt circle of skin under the pendant. Now that she had a moment to think, she took off her necklace to examine it and see what happened. The parts of the metal that twisted around the stone to hold it in place were charred black like she had tossed it in a fire.

“What happened?” Isaac said in shock.

She held up the pendant for him to see better. “The metal got all-“

“No, your chest.”

“Can you not be horny for thirty seconds?"

“Your burn,” Isaac clarified, sounding offended that he even had to explain himself.

“When I was trying to pull apart the twins I- I wasn’t strong enough. Then I remembered what they did to Boyd and I got angry, maybe a little too angry. Aquamarine is supposed to help dull out my emotions and powers so that I don’t use it to do anything crazy.”

She lightly touched her cold fingertip to the burn and frowned. Wearing the necklace probably wouldn’t be an option until it healed. On a whim, Ray put the necklace into the glovebox of the car. Isaac bit his lip. After hearing what the necklace was meant to do, he was unsure whether or not taking it off was the right choice.

“Does it hurt?” He asked softly.

“It’s just a small burn.” Sure it was tender, worse than burning her hand with a curling iron, but if she didn’t think about it too much, it was just a dull ache. Besides, her headache from being hit with a desk was way worse.

Isaac grabbed her wrist and squeezed. Ray gasped as the throbbing in her head lessened a bit. The boy’s eyes went wide and flashed gold. He dropped her wrist like it had burned him.

“Jesus, are you like, dying or something?”

“Not from the burn. Jennifer hit me in the head with a desk earlier at the school.”

A flash of concerned washed over his features. The car suddenly felt very warm, or maybe it was just the girl’s cheeks blushing from how intensely Isaac was watching her. The last thing she needed was another guy worrying about her. Stiles and Scott did plenty of that.

Ray broke away from his blue eyes to answer a FaceTime call from Allison. Both teens put on an attempt at a casual face for the brunette on the screen. She asked, “You guys ready?”

“Yeah, no yeah,” Isaac stuttered. It felt like he had said or done something wrong to Ray, but he wasn’t sure what it was. All he knew was how deeply he wished he could draw a curtain between their seats so that they wouldn’t have to look at each other for the rest of the night. Maybe then his heart would stop beating so irregularly.

“You're not nervous, are you?” Allison teased him.

Isaac tried to sound brave, “Do I look nervous?”

“No, not at all.”

She moved away from the camera as her dad asked in the background, “Did he look nervous?”

“Terrified.”

Ray giggled.

“Yeah, I can still hear you, very, very clearly,” Isaac said.

Allison came back on the screen. Her dimples were showing for a brief second, causing Ray and Isaac to both feel very nervous.

Because the the plan, you know. High stakes and all.

“Just go as soon as you see them, okay?” She told them.

“Yeah. Yeah, I got it.” Isaac adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and glanced over to Ray. She was lost in thought, looking out the window. “You good?”

Ray cleared her throat and vaguely answered, “Just thinking about something Erica said once.”

Isaac thought it was weird she would be thinking of Erica at a time like this, but he didn’t press it. Maybe she was just thinking about all the lives they lost and how they were hopefully going to save a few for once.

The twins could be seen running past Allison’s phone on the screen. Isaac shifted the car into force and sped off for the basement to pick up Peter, Cora, and Stiles. Before the car even came to a complete stop, Ray hoped out to yank open the back door so that Peter could put Cora in. Ray took Stiles’s hand to pull him in the passenger seat with her. They’d both fit, if not, she’d sit on his lap.

“Wait, wait,” he mumbled as his fingers brushed over a paper on the door of the ambulance. “Look.”

Below the signature line, the form read: **Parent or Guardian**. That was it. That was the pattern.

Her mother could still be alive.

“I have to warn Scott,” Stiles yelled as he ran off.

“Can’t we just-!” Ray called after him. She mumbled the last bit, “-text him?” Her eyes flickered to Isaac, giving him an awfully guilty half-smile. He walked around the front of the car to stop her.

“Ray, don’t you _fucking_ dare-“

It was too late, she was already running after Stiles.

Stiles was yelling for Scott to wait up. He and Ray slid to a hault as they came up to the elevator. Derek Hale was lying unconscious on the floor. Ray pushed Stiles for him to continue on after Scott while she saved Derek, but Stiles took her hand.

“We are not splitting up again.”

Ray couldn’t disagree with him when he had that fearful look in his eyes. They eventually made it to the roof where Scott had ended up. Deucalion was there speaking to him, but Melissa was nowhere to be found. The alpha was giving Scott a proposition.

“You help me catch her, and I'll help you get your mother and Stiles's father back.”

The broken boy staggered forward, dragging his feet. He felt like he had no choice. Deucalion knew more about this world than he did. The Alphas wanted Jennifer dead. Scott knew his group of teenage friends wouldn’t be able to take her on. Not after losing nearly everything.

“Scott. Scott, don't do this. Don't go with him,” Stiles begged.

Ray stumbled after him. “Scotty, please-“

“I don't know what else to do.” He couldn’t face his friends.

“No, there's got- Scott, there's got to be something else, okay? We always. . we always have a plan B.”

Finally, he turned to look at them. His tears glistened in the moonlight. “Not this time.”

“We can figure it out together,” Ray’s voice cracked. Despite her pleas, the boy kept walking. “Scotty, don’t go.”

He shook his head then looked back at his best friends one last time. “I'm gonna find them. I promise.”

“Scott!” Stiles yelled one more time, this time with a hint of anger in his tone. Still, Scott disappeared around the corner. Stiles's nose flared. He grabbed at a chain-link fence surrounding the generator, yelling “Fuck!”

What would happen to Scott if he didn’t agree to the terms of Deucalion’s pack? Deucalion wasn’t known to be a benevolent leader, and he had killed his own pack before, what would stop him from harming Scott if the boy put a toe out of line. Teenage boys who were desperate to save everyone usually didn’t bode well to authority.

Who would be their voice of reason without Scott? He had always been the one to break apart fights and reel Stiles and Ray in when they went overboard. Stiles would do anything for his close friends and family, but that tight-knit circle was diminishing by the minute. He often blurred the lines of right and wrong, and he wasn’t known for having a save everyone mentality. Ray had more connections with people, but her path to do what was right was often swayed by Scott. Growing up, it felt like Scott was the angel on one shoulder and Stiles was the devil on the other.

Would she be able to make the right choice without him?

Thunder boomed overhead. A bolt of lightning struck against the building. Stiles whirled his head around, eyes wide and blinked rapidly.

“Thought you said this storm wasn’t you.”

Ray sighed and shrugged. “Okay, that time it was me.”

Her chest tightened. She didn’t even have to put much thought into the lightning without her necklace on. How easy it was felt. . powerful. . rewarding. . exciting.

She should probably get her necklace back from the Argent’s car soon. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scotty finally knows! Or well, he has known, he just admitted to knowing. And I bet now he wished he hadn’t. Poor kid probably wants to go back to being blind to it after seeing his two best friends kiss..
> 
> Also. . I’m sure y’all caught into Ray’s Allison situation, but did you catch the Allison’s Ray situation?  
> 
> 
> I have a couple of small scenes of Ray’s family dynamic in the next chapter (and how Stiles fits into that family). I’m excited about that because I feel like her family is established enough to the point where it’s interesting.  
> Also, we will get to see Marcus’s place of work!
> 
> I hope you guys are all doing well!


	35. The Other Guardians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// There are two panic attacks in this chapter. The first is at the beginning and descriptive. The second is one you are familiar with from the show and is less descriptive.
> 
> On a lighter note, grab a snack and a cup of tea because this chapter is 13k.

Derek wasn’t responding to Ray tapping his face or Stiles shaking his shoulders. Ray pressed two fingers against the artery in his neck and closed her eyes to focus. The echoes of the empty hospital were haunting and silent.

Like his heartbeat.

Ray whimpered.

Stiles shook his head in disbelief. “No. No, no, no! Derek! Wake up, okay? Come on!”

They couldn’t give up yet. She leaned down and listened to his chest. It was hard to hear anything over the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears and Stiles’s panicked breathing, but she swore there was still something there. It was slow and weak, but it was something.

She started doing chest compressions like they had on Cora. The counting calmed her down, but she was already getting weak by the time she got to ten. Her head throbbed from being jolted around so much, so when her hand slipped from his chest she was barely able to hold herself up from falling over his body. Stiles helped her sit up and held her to his chest with promised whispers that it would all be okay.

“I can’t, I-“ Her lungs constricted before she could finish. Her hands fell back into Derek’s chest again, attempting to do a compression but she was too weak. Everything felt numb.

“Let me do it. Tell me how and I will,” Stiles told her. He could tell she was panicking by her staggered speech and breathing. An oncoming panic attack was not the right mind frame to be in for chest compressions. Stiles knew he could do it himself if Ray could give him any sort of guidance.

Derek’s lips looked like they were turning blue. A quiet sob seemed to steal Ray’s last bit of air. The hallway started to look fuzzy to her. This was past the point in her attacks where she would usually excuse herself and start to count something. Her hands were frozen in place over Derek’s chest, immobilized by the fear that there was nothing she could do. Stiles moved beside her and tried to mimic the way she positioned her hands on the werewolf’s chest.

Then an image popped into her head. It was Melissa holding that defibrillator she used on the twins. Ray had learned about them briefly in her CPR class, but she hadn’t paid much attention, assuming she wouldn’t ever be somewhere that even had one on hand. Ray glanced around the hall, hoping one would be hanging somewhere. After all, this was a hospital. But her vision was still blurry from panicking and time was running out. Stiles blinked and fell back when she shoved his hands away. Usually, Ray would use her words before she got physical, but she couldn’t find her voice.

She put her left hand diagonally above Derek's heart and her right below then took in a big breath of air.

Blinding electric blue waves spread across her hands then up her arms. She was feeling a million things at once, his emotions, his heartbeat, his power. That power seemed to taunt her. It was like she could feel it seep into her fingertips, a delightful warmth that only left her wanting more. Derek’s eyes opened, flashing their bright red before turning back to his dull, human blue as more of that power traveled up her hands. She gasped and fell over, grabbing at her throbbing head.

If not for her concussion, she wondered if she would have stopped at all. For a second it was as if. . As if she was close to draining Derek of his strength and power, his Alpha status, and even his life.

“That was so freaking-“ Stiles scrambled to cradled Ray's head in his lap, saying, “No! Don’t fall asleep on me.”

“What-,” was all Derek could manage out. He put a hand over his chest and tried to calm his breathing. “Where is she?”

“Jennifer? Gone. With Scott’s mom,” Stiles told him.

“She took her?” Derek asked, sitting up.

“Yeah and if that’s not a big enough kick to the balls, Scott left with Deucalion, okay? So we gotta go- We gotta you outta here and find Ray help. Police are coming right now, so we gotta get you guys the hell out of here. Alright? So get up and help me with her.”

The werewolf was still out of breath from coming back to life. He managed to get himself on two feet, but he was stumbling. With one hand against the wall for support, Derek was able to pull Ray up on her own two feet. Stiles got up quick to wrap her arm around his shoulders in hopes that she’d be able to walk like that.

“Whoa, whoa,” Derek called after the pair. “What about Cora?”

“Peter and Isaac took her, probably the loft,” Stiles said, causing Derek to run off down the hall towards the main entrance. “Hey what about-“

“You can handle her, can’t you?” Derek asked desperately. All he was thinking about was checking in on his sister. Last he saw her, things were bad, on the edge bad. He wanted to spend every last possible moment with her in case. . In case things never got better.

“Just go be with her,” Ray mumbled. “Stiles’s got me.”

Stiles huffed and adjusted his grip, “To be honest, actually, I could use a little-“ But Derek had sprinted off the second Ray said it was okay to. “Oh, pft- course you’re already out of sight, asshole.” He started grumbling to himself, “My girlfriend saves your life, nearly faints, and you just-“

“I’m fine.” Ray insisted. She put her hand against the wall to balance herself, resembling Derek. This way Stiles didn’t have to do so much.

“Fine?! Ray! You have a concussion that isn’t getting any better because we keep having to run around, and I think you just like- brought him back to life- He’s like literally freaking Frankenstein now.”

“Frankenstein was the doctor. In the book, the monster isn’t given a name.”

“Oh, so even on the verge of death you still have enough in you to correct me on classic literature.”

She huffed and sat down in a waiting room chair to relax. “Wouldn’t have to use my last bit of energy if you had read the book instead of just learning the legend from that creepy eighties Tim Burton film about the dog coming back to life.”

Red and blue lights flickered through the glass front doors of the hospital. The boy’s shoulders sank before he threw himself down in the chair next to her. His knee immediately started jittering. She put her hand over it without a second thought.

Stiles did most of the talking to the police even though he wasn’t familiar with the ones who showed up. Though maybe it was better it was FBI agents and not local deputies he was bending the truth to. People who didn’t know him as the sheriff’s troublemaking son were more inclined to take him seriously when he told them Melissa McCall and Sonia Mahealani were both missing.

To not cause suspicion, the two teens stayed seated in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs while the police searched the building. Ray was content with staying there for a while. With her head rested on Stiles’s shoulder, she was finally able to rest. It was like the two were sat in the eye of a storm, waiting for the next wave of craziness to crash into them.

There were a lot of things going wrong, but something about Ray just seemed. . Off. Stiles kept frowning down at their intertwined hands and wondering what was different about her. One of his hands moved to play with her hair. His fingers tucked a strand behind her ear then slid down her neck to her shoulder. The smoothness of the action made him tense up.

“Your necklace is gone,” he commented. That was it.

“It’s with Isaac in whoever’s car he was driving. Allison’s hopefully. If it was Peter’s. . I might never get it back.” She smiled at her own joke for a second before the corners of her mouth turned down in confusion. Her hand brushed over the irritated skin on her chest. “It burned me.” She sat up from his shoulder to show him.

“Ray. . That’s- Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It could have been avoided, I mean- I know I shouldn’t wear it if I plan to use more of my powers. It was doing its job, trying to suppress them.” After what happened with Derek, Ray desperately wanted her necklace back. She didn’t like what happened when she used more power than the necklace allowed.

“Maybe you should not wear it more often, you know, like by an as-needed basis,” Stiles suggested.

It dawned on Ray that Stiles didn’t know she had almost killed Derek just moments ago. If he did, he probably would have already dragged her ass to the Hale loft to pick up her necklace. Ray scanned the sweet, supportive look on the freckled boy’s face and decided she didn’t want to crush his spirit. As long as she got that necklace back soon and kept it on, what Stiles didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. Right?

“Maybe, but I do want it back. I don’t know what a full moon would be like without it.”

The boy let out an annoyed huff of air, looking past her. “Just perfect. .” His girlfriend turned to look at the front door. Her heart sank.

Of all people to walk through that door, why did it have to be him? With their parents missing, the two teens felt more vulnerable than ever. They needed adults they could trust.

Not this asshole standing in front of them with a condescending look on his face.

“A Stilinski at the center of this whole mess. What a shocker.”

Ray’s lip curled as she snarled back, “Stiles had nothing to do with this.”

“And what would your mother think if she knew you were here too, Raymona?” The man questioned. “Is her boyfriend on his way to get you?”

“He isn’t her boyfriend. They’re married now.”

“Right, right. Melissa told me they finally tied the knot. It’s a shame, you know, first time I’ll be seeing Marcus in years and I’ll have to ask him if he has anything to do with the disappearance of his wife. That is. . Unless there’s something you guys can tell me.”

The girl bit the inside of her cheek and glared at the man. The front doors slammed open from a gush of wind, causing the agent to look at the entrance in shock. Stiles quickly slipped his hand on the girl’s knee and squeezed, warning her to control herself. The last thing they needed was for Ray’s eyes to start glowing in front of the man.

The FBI agent shook his head then looked back at the teens, now noticing how close the two had been sitting. That was an interesting development Melissa hadn’t told him about.

“Listen, think you two can answer some questions without the usual level of sarcasm?”

“If you ask the questions without the usual level of stupid,” Stiles answered.

He chuckled then got straight to the point, not having the patience to deal with teenagers. “Where’s your dad, and why’s no one been able to contact him?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in hours.”

“Is he drinking again?”

That accusation made Ray tense up. Her hand curled into a fist. This asshole is the last guy that should be allowed to say shit like that. She wanted to ask if he himself was drinking again, but she knew if she opened her mouth to speak, she would only get angrier.

Stiles clenched his teeth and looked down. “What do you mean again? He never had to stop.”

“But he did have to slow down. Is he drinking like he used to?”

“Alright, how about this: next time I see him, I’ll give him a field sobriety test, okay? We’ll do the alphabet- start with ‘F’, end with ‘U’.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to get anything about their parents out of the kids, the agent decided to try his luck on other topics. “How about you just tell me what the hell happened here?”

“I don’t know what happened here. We were stuck in the elevator the whole time.”

“You’re not the one who put the name on the doors,” the agent stated.

“What name?”

“Argent.” The man caught the surprised look on their faces. “Did you two really not even see it?”

“Once the doors opened, we ran,” Ray told him. “We went looking for Mel or my mom to find out what happened to the power. Guess it was just the storm.”

“If the storm was bad enough to knock off the back up generators, the power wouldn’t have just come back on without maintenance.”

“So are we done here? Because it sounds like you have a lot of work to do to find out what happened, and we clearly don’t know anything,” Stiles told him.

“Clearly,” the agent grumbled. The two teens hurried toward the front doors to avoid further questioning. He called out to them, “Careful driving in the rain.”

Stiles scoffed. He raised his fist to flip the agent off. Ray’s eyes went wide. She was quick to grab his hand and push it down, but the agent definitely knew what Stiles was trying to do. The agent opened his mouth to say something more. The teens’ sneakers squeaked as they bolted off in unison, out the doors before the man could protest.

They decided to meet up at the Argent’s apartment to figure out their next step. On the way, Ray made a teary phone call to Marcus to update him on everything. He planned on calling around to some of her mom’s work friends to see if they saw anything. When he asked about Scott, Ray found it hard to speak. By the end of the call, Marcus made it very clear that anyone who needed a place to stay would be staying with them, whether that was Stiles, Isaac, or even Scott if he decided to leave the Alphas and join them again.

Allison was quick to notice Ray’s burn and pulled her off to the bathroom in search of burn cream while Stiles filled in Chris about the findings of the elevator door and that Melissa and Sonia were missing now along with his dad.

In the Argents big fancy bathroom, Ray was admiring how clean everything was. She shared her bathroom with two teenage boys. Allison seemed to have the whole space to herself. Some of her products were displayed in a basket on the vast counter space. A giant med kit was pulled from one of the cabinets below the sink. Ray’s eyes went wide.

Allison noticed her friend’s reaction and laughed. “So, knife throwing and archery are a little rough on the hands. I keep a lot of bandaids for cuts and blisters, but lately, I’ve built a bit of callus so. . . This has all been going to waste.”

Ray watched the girl’s hands as Allison dug through the kit. The word callus made her think of the hands of a man who did construction or something like that for a living. Allison’s hand looked soft, not gruff.

“You get callus from archery?” Ray asked.

“Yeah! A little bit on my fingertips,” she said proudly. “It feels super cool.”

“Really?”

Allison held her right hand in front of Ray. “Do you wanna feel it?” The shorter girl hesitantly touched over the pad of Allison’s ring finger. A bit of the skin was hardened and thick, but Ray was right, the rest of Allison’s skin was soft like luxurious satin sheets. She bet Allison even owned expensive sheets like that, considering the mansion of an apartment the Argents lived in.

“Cool, right?” The hunter’s voice brought Ray’s mind back to reality. Ray dropped her hand back to her side.

“Very. Scotty said once that guitar players get callus too if they practice enough.” The girls met eyes. Ray quickly looked away.

Allison took in a big breath of air then looked back to the first aid kit. If she had looked in the mirror, she would have noticed Ray press her own cold fingers against her cheeks to cool them down. Lucky for Ray, a soft knock on the door diverted both girl’s attention long enough for Ray’s pink cheeks to go back to normal.

The door slowly opened to reveal Isaac who was covering his eyes with one hand. “Just dropping off Ray’s necklace. Your dad said you guys were in here.”

“You don’t have to cover your eyes,” Ray said with a laugh.

The boy looked over both girls then pulled the necklace from his pocket and held it out toward Ray. He was still refusing to step inside the bathroom as if he was intruding. When the stone dropped in Ray’s palm, she instantly felt the stress of the night dull out. It was still there looming over her head, but it was manageable now. Her heart also stopped feeling like it was beating twice as hard.

“Oh, there’s the burn cream. I knew I had some!” Allison held up the small packet then gave it to Ray who elected to open the packet with her teeth. The cooling sensation it left on her burn gave her goosebumps. The hunter and the werewolf were quietly watching her put the cream on until she grabbed a bandaid and both seemed to break out of their trance and give each other awkward half-smiles instead.

Isaac cleared his throat. “So Melissa’s been taken now too?” Ray looked up at him through the mirror and nodded. “And Scott?”

“Deucalion made him a deal. He’d help if Scott joined him,” Ray said.

“And where does that leave us?”

“With my dad,” Allison answered. “He’ll come up with a plan. We’ll get them all back.”

The three of them met up in the office with Stiles and Chris. A map was laid out on the big desk in the center of the room. Chris held a black light to it to show the teens the markings he made along the telluric currents. Recently he had discovered that the Darach doesn’t just work on the currents, she’s in sync with them. If they could find what place she was going to be next, Chris could figure out what time she would be there.

“So we figure out the time and then what? We all show up and hope we can take her on?” Isaac asked.

“I’ll go,” Chris told them.

“Dad, she’s going after guardians. You can’t be the one to go,” Allison told him.

“The word is guardian, Allison. More than anyone, you know that's a role I haven't exactly lived up to lately.”

“But she took Scott’s and Ray’s mothers and Stiles's father. That's not a coincidence.”

"Maybe it's three mothers three fathers?" Isaac suggested.

“Yeah,” Stiles spoke up, “I'd also consider the fact that someone put your name up in large block letters on the elevator doors. That kind of felt like a warning to me.”

Allison nodded. “I think it might be Morrell. She knows a lot more than she lets on, and she might even be trying to help us.”

“Well, she needs to get on that a lot faster, okay? Seeing as how the lunar eclipse is less than two freaking nights away.” Stiles turned away from the desk in annoyance.

“Stiles, don't give up hope,” Chris told him.

“She has all three. They could already be dead.”

“I don't think so. There's something about Jennifer's tactics.”

“Why would your name be on the elevator doors if she was already done?” Ray wondered.

“Exactly.” The hunter looked across the map for answers. There had to be a reason his name was on those doors. “It's like she's still positioning, still moving pieces into place.”

“And you're one of them,” Allison reminded him.

“Then let's not wait around to see the next move. Everything she's done has been on a telluric current, so your parents have to be somewhere on one of those currents, right?” He looked up and sighed, noticing Stiles was still turned away from the desk with a tight jaw. “Stiles, if we're gonna find them, we need your help.”

Ray looked over her shoulder at the boy then reached out to him. They had a long night, and he was getting more irritated by the second. As soon as they figured out where the Darach would be next, they could go home and rest until the right time came. The boy dragged his feet back to the desk, letting his girlfriend wrap an arm around him.

He tried to focus on the map again and asked, “You seriously want to go after her? I mean, what if she just takes you like the others, huh? No offense, but what's the difference between you and them?”

Chris pulled a gun from his desk drawer and snapped a magazine into place. “I'm carrying a .45. Maybe she can heal from a shot to the leg and a few slashes to the face, but personally, I'd like to see how she holds up with half her skull blown off.”

At the sight of the gun, Ray subconsciously grabbed tighter onto Stiles. Images of that night with Matt flashed through her head. _“Hands to yourself, Nerine, and I won’t have to shoot your bitch of a boyfriend.”_

Ray let go of Stiles and inched away from him. She tried to go unnoticed, but as she backed up, she backed into Isaac. It felt like all eyes were on her as she muttered an apology. She stepped forward again to stand next to Stiles. Part of her wanted to reach out to him, but she was scared to. Then finally Chris laid the gun down on his desk and Ray felt like she could breathe again.

That whole time, Chris had been going on, “We've got one priority right now, and that is to find your parents. We've got a map and every clue we need to figure this out. The only thing we don't have is time, which is why I need all of you to help.

Stiles wasn’t one to often agree with authority, but Chris knew more about this world than all of the teens combined. He nodded and asked, “Where do we start?”

“What I’ve gathered so far is that the place where the sacrifices have been committed have usually been different from where the bodies have been found. I think the placement has to do with the strength of the current, so there's the school, the animal clinic, the bank.”

“Wait a sec, she wouldn't use the same place twice, would she?”

“Only if she didn't succeed the first time.” He tapped his black light over the bank.

“Scott's boss,” Allison realized.

“Deaton,” Isaac said.

Chris agreed, “It was her only failure. That could mean something.”

“That's just one place so far. We're gonna need a lot more help,” Stiles said.

“What about Lydia?” Allison asked, looking to Ray who was playing with her necklace so that it wouldn’t rub against her bandaid.

“Jennifer tried to kill her, but she wasn’t meant to be a sacrifice,” Ray said.

Chris had known that Lydia was strangled, but he couldn’t figure out how Lydia could be of help. “Lydia? What can she do?”

Stiles explained, “Uh, Lydia's got sort of a talent. She somehow ended up finding a couple of the bodies, um- without actually looking for them.”

“What is she? Psychic?”

“She's. . .something.”

“She poisoned Derek with powdered wolfsbane to bring Peter back to life,” Isaac spoke up from behind them.

“And we all hallucinated that night at her birthday party,” Ray added. Chris gave her a questionable look. “-From the poison, not because- yeah. There was poison in the punch.” Allison kicked her ankle. Ray stuttered, “A-alcohol-free punch, of course.”

“Of course,” Chris said gruffly.

“You know, I wasn’t at that party,” Isaac announced proudly.

“Point is,” Allison said quickly, “Lydia might know something.”

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow I’ll go to the bank, and you guys try to figure out what Lydia knows,” Chris told them.

“I’m going with you,” Allison declared.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

Allison opened one of the big cabinets along the wall and pulled out a crossbow. “So am I.”

“I can't shoot a gun or use a crossbow, but. . Well, I'm getting pretty good with these.” Isaac flicked out his claws.

Suddenly the Argents were making work of pulling weapons out of every nook and cranny of the office. Ray took a slow step to get behind Stiles as a pile of pistols on the desk started to gather. Chris opened a long case and pulled out a rifle of sorts.

“Whoa,” Stiles mumbled. His girlfriend behind him was tugged on his shirt, silently begging that they leave now. “I thought you guys were retired.”

“Retired, yes. Defenseless, no. Make sure your phone's on. If you hear from Scott, you let us know immediately.”

“Yeah, I'm thinking that's gonna be kind of unlikely,” Stiles turned to wrap his arm around Ray so that she would stop fidgeting.

“Try to remember he's just doing what he thinks is right.”

“You don’t think he’d stay with them forever, right?” Isaac asked.

“The deal was to join the Alpha pack if he wanted Deucalion’s help,” Stiles said grimly.

Allison twirled a knife in her hand then said, “We won’t need Deucalion’s help with this plan. If we save the parents and stop Jennifer on our own, Scott’s deal would be off.”

“Okay, well-“ Stiles looked at the array of weapons then glanced to his girlfriend’s paled face. “Looks like you guys got this part of the plan handled so. . we’re gonna go try and get a couple hours of sleep before school.” Ray nodded and dragged the boy out into the hall, not needing any further convincing that it was time to leave.

“Ray, wait-“ The shorter girl turned and was surprised by Allison’s embrace. The hunter whispered in her ear, “I’m glad we’re able to do this again,” as she squeezed her tighter.

“Me too,” Ray whispered back. Allison used a citrus smelling shampoo or perfume that was lovely to take in. For a moment, Ray let herself get lost in it. The other girl pulled away then squeezed Stiles’s shoulder, offering him a worried smile.

“You guys can stay here if you need to. Whenever you need to. We have the guest room, and the couch in the living room is comfy. Isaac is staying too, so it won’t be weird.”

Stiles wondered why it would have been weird. Before he could ask, Ray was politely declining the offer, “Marcus is worried about us. He said Stiles could stay until it’s all figured out. We just have to pick up his pillow and toothbrush on the way home.”

“Okay. Just text me if you need me. I keep my ringtone up overnight, so call literally any time.”

“I will-“ Ray glanced at Stiles then corrected herself, “I mean, we will.”

When they were grabbing Stiles’s pillow from his place, he expressed that he was hesitant to stay over. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel welcome, he just felt like it was wrong to be staying at his girlfriend’s house for, well, who knows how long. Ray reassured him a million times that Marcus was the one to not only offer but _insist_ that Stiles stay the night. Still, he was nervous.

Then Marcus opened the front door to pull Ray into a teary embrace and Stiles felt even more out of place. His hands played with the fraying fabric of his pillowcase and he did his best to divert his gaze from the two crying while also trying not to cry himself. He pulled his pillow close to his chest to mimic a hug for himself. There was an unsettling twisting in his chest that kept building tighter and tighter and then suddenly Marcus broke away from his stepdaughter and pulled Stiles toward him for a hug, whispering promises that they’d find his dad soon.

Stiles broke down. Ray was quick to pick up the fallen pillow as the two men cried. Marcus was a hugger and a crier. That seemed to be exactly what the teenage boy needed at the moment.

Inside, Ray threw the pillow on the couch and sped into the kitchen, suddenly realizing how starved she was. Danny was already in there heating up two helpings of what had been for dinner that night for her and Stiles. Jayden had been sitting on the counter and jumped down when he caught sight of his older sister wandering into the room. Very rarely did Jayden accept hugs and giving them was unheard of. Tonight seemed to be the only time he was happy to see his embarrassing sister come home alive.

As the two broke away from each other, Danny asked the girl, “Where’s Stilinski? I heated you guys both up a plate.”

“He’s uh- talking to your dad.”

Danny set a plate in front of her as she sat on an island stool. “Was Ethan there?”

That was a topic Ray had hoped to avoid. “He was. Aiden too. They were trying to stop Ms. Blake.”

“The English teacher?” Jayden said in disbelief.

Danny went pale. “She’s the one who set up the whole concert.” He felt sick knowing that their benefit concert was all an elaborate scheme to kill his band teacher.

Marcus and Stiles came into the kitchen next. Marcus went for the fridge while Stiles collapsed onto the stool next to Ray. When a warm plate was slid in front of him, he looked up at Danny in shock. There were at least three types of vegetables on this plate along with meat that was marinated in a wonderful smelling sauce. Stiles thought families only ate this extravagant in movies.

“Eat up, Stiles,” Marcus told the boy then patted his son on the back to say, “Danny, you clean your room like I asked you to?”

“Fresh sheets for the guest of honor, just like you said,” Danny responded with a half-smile.

Stiles nearly choked on a carrot. “We don’t- we don’t have to share. I’ll take the couch.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Stilinski. I only share a bed with boys who cook for me first, not the other way around.” His wink caused a deep blush to rise to Stiles’s cheeks.

“Hey!” Ray swatted across the counter at her stepbrother. “Quit flirting with my boyfriend.”

“Danny, what did we talk about?” Marcus asked him.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Don’t make Stiles uncomfortable just because it’s hilarious.”

“Isaac’s not coming, so I get to stay in my room, right?” Jayden said hopefully.

“He’s stayed with Allison. Tomorrow when Chris and Allison try to find the Darach, he's going with them,” Ray told him.

“Aren’t you thankful I made you change your sheets anyway?” Marcus asked the freshman boy who just grumbled in response.

The sound of the front door opening had everyone freeze. Marcus motioned for the kids to keep quiet in fear that it was someone sinister. They hadn’t expected anyone else over, and especially not at this hour. Keys jingled, followed by the door shutting and locking.

Light footsteps came down the hall as a melodic voice rang out, “Mark, you won’t believe the night I just had-“ Sonia rounded the corner of the kitchen then paused as she saw five pairs of eyes all on her. She put her purse on a counter near the door and asked, “What are you kids doing up so late? It’s- it’s got to be almost three.”

“Mom!” Ray and Jayden cried out, each kid embracing one of her sides.

Sonia gasped and stumbled a bit in impact. “Well, hello to you too.”

As the kids pulled away, Marcus landed a tender kiss on her lips. Sonia laughed and asked, “What is all this about?”

Ray stuttered, “W-we thought-“

Jayden interrupted her, “We thought you were taken!”

“Taken? What-“

“Sonia,” Marcus said lowly, “Noah and Melissa were taken. They’re going to be the last sacrifices.”

The woman looked to be in shock. “They were, but-“ Her eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Scott and Isaac? Are they next-door alone?”

“Isaac is staying with the Argents, but Scott. .” Ray looked to Stiles to finish for her, but he was busy staring down at his plate with an unreadable look. The girl frowned then turned back to her mom, “He went with the Alphas to try and figure out how to save you guys.”

“Where were you?” Jayden asked. “We called you like a hundred times!”

“I left my phone and purse in my locker at work when I went with some patients during the evacuation. They were in breathalyzers. It’s been a long night, but oh- I saw your guys’ friend. The one with the pretty hair?” She looked at Danny then Ray for help.

“Allison?” Ray asked.

“Lydia,” Stiles corrected her. “Lydia went to Grady Memorial to get her neck seen.”

“That’s the one,” Sonia said. “Thank you, Stiles. You can have Jayden’s room as long as you need it.”

“Mom!” Jayden protested.

“Danny is already giving up his,” Marcus explained.

“Does this mean I have to go to school tomorrow?” The younger boy asked.

His mother gave him a tired look. “Yes, yes it does. Now, Ray, I’m going to need you to text me Argent’s number so I can check on Isaac. It’s Chris, right?”

“I have it. I’ve been texting him all night,” Marcus said. “Now, let’s let them eat and come tell me about your night upstairs.”

Danny grimaced as the adults left the room. “Those two are definitely about to go have glad you aren’t dead sex.”

“Oh! Gross!” Jayden shoved his brother.

“I’m trying to eat!” Ray cried out.

Danny snickered. “You know it’s true. Anyway, JayJay, come help me find sheets for the couch.”

“Quit calling me that!” Jayden whined as his brother dragged him out of the kitchen to give Ray and Stiles privacy.

Stiles’s fork scraped against the glass plate as he moved food around. With everyone else gone, Ray’s focus obsessed over the elephant in the room. Her mom was back, but his dad wasn’t.

“This is a good thing, right?” Ray tried to help him see the bright side. "It's probably not six guardians, just three."

“Yeah.” He was being uncharacteristically quiet. It was unsettling.

“It means we have more time-“

“It means your life goes back to being perfect.”

His words had shocked her. Instead of denying it or starting an argument, Ray pushed her plate farther away so she could message the group chat about her mom. Unlike the boy next to her who had put his head in his hands, everyone on the chat sent her a congratulations, even Allison who knew very well that meant her dad was probably next. At least now they would be able to prepare for his kidnapping and prevent it.

The two sat in silence for long enough that the smell of the food started to make Ray feel sick. Or maybe it had been the tension in the small kitchen that was causing her stomach to do flips. Ray’s life felt far from perfect. Only recently did she feel like she could be honest with her mother without being punished for it. For years it had been just her mother raising Ray and Jayden. When Ray was a kid, she dreaded having to visit her dad over the summer and winter breaks because of how poorly her mother talked of him. Once Sonia found Marcus, that bitterness resolved, and Ray was able to see her dad for what he really was. . Which wasn’t great, but she didn’t need him to be. She was lucky and had Marcus to fill that spot.

Now things are getting better. Perfect? Far from it, but they definitely weren’t struggling to put food on the table any longer.

Once Stiles finally finished his plate, Ray took him up to show him how their shower worked. He had remembered his pillow, toothbrush, and clothes for school the next day but had forgotten something to sleep in. Ray disappeared from the bathroom for a few minutes then came back and wordlessly handed him a pair of clothes. Stiles looked down at them and scrunched his eyebrows together. “These are mine. . How the hell do you have my clothes?”

“You lent them to me after that thing with the kanima and the pool,” she said with a shrug. As she went on to show him how the shower worked, his eyes seemed to glaze over. Clearly, he wasn’t paying attention at all. Ray put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, freckles, you still with me?”

He swallowed thickly. His eyes flickered from the mirror back to the shower where he was supposed to be watching. “Yeah. I’m listening.”

“We’re gonna find him, alright? I know it’s scary, but-“

“You don’t know, Ray, you don’t. If your mom hadn’t come back, you still would have had Jayden, and Danny, and Marcus, and your actual dad all to fall back on. I don’t have any of that, okay? Even with my dad it isn’t like this. When I go home at night it’s microwave dinners and asking if I finished my homework yet, not some-“

“You think it’s like this every night? We’re not some picture-perfect family. Some nights I come home from running around town trying to stop human fucking sacrifices and all my mom does is scream at me for not doing my chores and missing school.”

“At least you still have her!”

“What do you want me to say? You want me to apologize that my mom’s alive?!”

The bathroom door creaked open. Ray and Stiles didn’t seem to care as Jayden cleared his throat. He awkwardly pushed his way between them to get to the sink and grab his toothbrush. When he turned around to walk back, both juniors were still glaring at one another, completely ignoring him. “I’m just gonna go ahead and brush my teeth in the kitchen.”

Ray rolled her eyes as Jayden pushed between them again to get out of the small room. Stiles gripped the edge of the sink and squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn’t productive, he knew that. He also knew how much of an ass he was being, but he couldn’t help himself. His dad was missing, and he couldn’t even do anything about it until tomorrow when the telluric currents aligned or whatever the fuck had to happen for Ms. Blake to show up and try to take Chris.

Ray leaned against the wall behind the sink to get Stiles to look at her. “What do you want to do, Stiles? You want us to go to Lydia’s and see if she knows anything?”

“She’s probably asleep by now,” Stiles grumbled.

A beat passed and then Ray pushed off the wall and said, “If you need any more help with the shower, just yell and-“

“I’ll come running,” Danny said, leaning against the doorframe. He smirked as his sister and her boyfriend turned bright red, the girl red with anger, and the boy from trying not to look at Danny’s bare torso. Stiles hoped Danny hadn’t been listening in for very long.

“Can you and Jay fuck off for like, five minutes? Bathroom’s occupied,” Ray told him.

Danny whistled. “Damn, grumpy. Just hand me my toothbrush, and I’ll be out of your hair. Oh- and Jay forgot the toothpaste because you two scared him.”

“Hey!” Jayden called from his hiding place behind his older brother.

“You two are the worst,” Ray grumbled as she handed Danny what he needed. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, get a room,” Danny said with a huff.

“Mind if we use yours?” Ray bitterly called after him as he walked away. “Sorry about them. There’s no privacy in this house. Listen, I’m fucking tired and not in the mood to fight about this. Just have your shower and get some rest.”

She slipped out of the bathroom before Stiles could muster up the courage to apologize.

The next morning, Stiles gingerly made his way to the kitchen already dressed for school. The three teen siblings stopped their bickering and laughter to turn and look at him. Jayden was sat at the island doing last minute homework he had skipped yesterday since he thought he would be staying home today. Danny was at the stove flipping bacon that smelled heavenly. Ray was still in her tiny sleep shorts and pouring herself a cup of orange juice. Stiles wrung his hands together and tried not to look at any of them for too long.

“Well, would you look at that? Sleeping beauty left his tower,” Danny joked.

“Stiles, do you know anything about plant cells? Danny and Ray just keep saying the same thing.”

“Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” Ray and Danny said at the same time before bursting into a fit of giggles. Jayden glared at them.

“Uh, yeah, I might remember a few things. .” Stiles stood next to the freshman to look over his homework sheet. A plate with two toaster waffles and bacon was slid in front of him. His lips parted in shock as he looked up at Danny. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Coffee?”

“No, no I’m good, thanks.”

“Orange juice? Water?” Danny kept trying.

“No- really, I’m-“ A glass of milk was wordlessly placed in front of him. Stiles watched Ray put away the carton. She was still ignoring him, it seemed. That was well deserved. He was a total asshat last night.

“Ew, dude. Milk?” Jayden grimaced.

“At least he doesn’t chew on ice,” Ray fired back.

“I have low iron!”

“Maybe if you had a glass of milk, you wouldn’t.”

“Actually,” Stiles spoke up hesitantly, “Milk hinders the ability to absorb iron, and it even makes your intestines lose a little bit of blood. And losing blood means losing iron. . .” The other three stared at him like he was speaking a different language. He carefully took a sip of the glass then said, “Just something I read once.”

Danny was trying not to laugh. “This is the kid you were worried about bringing home to your mom?”

Ray sat on the counter next to where Danny was cooking. “Oh, you wanna talk boyfriends? Because if I remember correctly, yours tried to kill me last night.”

“And? Yours took up all the hot water!”

“Yours literally forms into a monster creature with his twin and probably has separation anxiety and thinks about his twin when he’s making out with you.”

“Yours plays World of Warcraft.”

“You only know that because you used to play with him!”

Stiles leaned in to whisper to Jayden, “They always like this?”

“Usually they’re worse.”

“Hey, Stilinski, you ridin’ with me and Jay to school?” Danny asked.

“Um-“ He looked to Ray then realized that her brothers were both dressed for school like he was, but she didn’t seem like she was in a rush to change out of her pajamas.

“Sonia found out about the concussion,” Danny quickly explained. “Ray’s stuck at home for the day.”

“Lucky,” Jayden grumbled.

“Yeah, then I guess- yes. Thank you,” Stiles said, finally answering Danny’s offer.

Before the three boys left for school, Stiles raced back up the stairs to grab his backpack from Danny’s room. In the hall, he ran into Ray who had just come out of the shower. Her hand tightened on her towel to keep it shut. Stiles uttered a million apologies as he stumbled back.

“I thought you guys left.”

“Yeah! Sorry- so sorry. I forgot my-“ He held up his bag then but his lip. A thought popped into his head and suddenly he was digging through his backpack to pull out his keys. “Actually, I. . I want to leave these with you in case you need them.”

Ray took in a small breath of air as the cold keys landed in her free hand. “You’re trusting me with the jeep?” She watched his honey eyes look everywhere but at her. They had been both pretending all morning that one wasn’t looking at the other, but they couldn’t help but steal secret glances. She clutched the keys close to her chest where her other hand was holding her towel and said, “I’m still mad at you.”

“That’s- Yeah. That’s fair. I was so stupid last night-“

“No you weren’t,” she said quickly. “You were scared, but that doesn’t- that doesn’t make it right.”

He looked down at his shoes. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Ray bit her tongue to keep herself from saying something bitter like _you should be_. Instead, she changed the subject, “Check in on Lydia for me? I asked how she was. She said she was fine, but. . She was strangled by a dark Druid. That’s gotta have some effects in the psyche, you know?”

Stiles nodded. “I’ll look after her.” When Ray turned to go to her room, Stiles found himself stumbling after her. “Wait, do you forgive me?”

Ray frowned. Did she forgive him? But even knowing that he had resented her family for being happy for even just a few moments still left a sour taste in her mouth.

“I don’t know yet, but I’m still going to do everything I can to help find your dad. . if that’s what you’re wondering.”

That wasn’t what he was wondering, but he was too afraid to ask the real question. Did she still love him? We’re they still together, or did he fuck everything up?

The girl disappeared behind her bedroom door. The boy adjusted the straps of his backpack nervously then headed off to school. It wasn’t like he could force her to forgive him, and honestly? He wouldn’t blame her if she never did. Being bitter about someone else having things better off than him wasn’t going to make his problems disappear. And he'd be a shitty person if he wanted his girlfriend to suffer the same way has him just for the sake of being able to relate to her. He just-

He just wanted his dad back.

A few hours later, Ray was sat in her room staring at the keys on her vanity. Her mother wanted her to rest, but there had to be something she could do. Just as she got up to grab the keys, her phone went off. The name on the caller ID made her heart sink.

“Hello?” The person on the other line didn’t respond. Ray tried again, “Isaac?”

"Chris. . He-,” Isaac whispered. “He went with her by choice.”

So the plan at the bank had gone south. If the Darach took Chris that meant she really did have all three guardians now. The last three sacrifices.

“Are you two okay?”

“We’re- Allison’s in shock I think. He handcuffed her, but I got her out.”

“I’m going to go to the clinic. Maybe Deaton knows something, or maybe he can get something more out of Morrell. Just, don’t tell Stiles yet. Last night he- He just isn’t in a good place. I’ll tell him.”

There was a beat of silence before Isaac admitted, “Ray, I already texted him.”

“Okay, okay. . Fuck, okay. I’ll grab Deaton then head to the school. You guys get the map from Allison’s and we’ll meet at the clinic to plan later.”

“Are you gonna message Scott?”

“We both should. Maybe he’ll respond to one of us.”

Getting Deaton to agree to go to the school with Ray was harder than she anticipated. After Ray mentioned that his sister might be at the school and that they were going to need her help as well, Deaton looked rather guilty. The truth was, he didn’t know if his sister would even be willing to help more than she already had. If it was true that she was the one to write Argent’s name on the elevator doors, Deucalion was probably already angry with her.

Now that Scott was with the alpha pack, things were falling into place for Deucalion. Deaton wondered how much longer the alpha would keep his sister around now that his perfect pack was finally coming together. They weren’t the closest of siblings, but that didn’t mean Deaton wanted to see her slaughtered for the sake of Deucalion’s deranged super pack.

While Ray was trying to convince Deaton to go with her, Lydia was trying to keep the boy in front of her from falling apart on the locker room floor. That morning, Ray had messaged Lydia and asked her to look after Stiles, saying he wasn’t doing well. While it was understandable Ray was worried about her boyfriend whose dad was missing, Stiles had seemed perfectly fine that morning when they talked before school. He was quieter than usual, but Lydia figured he was just hurt by the fact that Scott left them.

Then in the halls after second period he got that text from Isaac and everything changed. It was like the bandaid holding together a damn snapped, and everything that had gone wrong in the last 24 hours was hitting him, drowning him.

Seeing a boy panicked like that was a first for Lydia. Sure, Danny had cried over a boy or two in her shoulder but never was he inconsolable. Jackson had only ever expressed anger and confidence. The only time she ever saw him cry was when he turned from a kanima to a werewolf. That was nothing like this.

Stiles was shaking and clutching his chest like he couldn’t breathe. After helping him into the locker room for privacy, Lydia didn’t know what else to do. It was rare for Lydia Martin to not have a single idea. She was stumped, speechless, frightened even. How do you talk down a boy whose dad was taken?

“Just try and think about something else, anything else,” Lydia told him.

Stiles looked at her like she was insane as if he didn’t have the ability to possibly think of anything other than the fact that the Darach has all three now. “Like what?”

“Uh, happy things. Good things. Uh, friends, Ray, family.” The boy’s eyes went wide with fear. Lydia cursed at herself. “Oh, I mean. . not family.”

If it was Allison panicking like this, Lydia would know just what to do. She’d hold her friend and rock her while playing with her hair. She’d promise it would all be okay. But she and Stiles didn’t have that preestablished comfortably with skin to skin contact. Holding him would probably make him panic worse.

“Oh, god,” the boy mumbled.

“Okay, uh, just- Try and slow your breathing!”

“I can't-“ Stiles gasped for air. “I can't.”

With all her ideas useless, Lydia decided to just ask what he needed, “What can I do, Stiles, what can I do?”

“She counts,” Stiles whimpered. “She counts.”

“Who counts? What does she count?”

“She counts to me.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. He tried to take in a breath but got choked up from the crying.

“Okay, uh- I think I read something like that before. Okay. What are five things you can see?”

“W-what?” Stiles looked like he had never been asked that in his life.

“Five things you can see,” Lydia reiterated. “Like, what about the window up there? That’s one. Now you find four more.”

He seemed to catch on, or at least he was playing along. “The bench-“

“Good! Yes! The bench.”

“The- the lockers.”

“That’s three! Just two more.”

“My bag. My bag.” He clutched into his backpack to ground himself.

“One more thing.”

“You?”

“That’s all five! Now four things you can. . Touch!”

“I think I-“ Stiles brought his backpack up to his chest and hugged it. “I think I’m fine.”

Lydia watched the boy layout on the cold floor and look up at the ceiling tiles. He still wasn’t breathing regularly, but now it seemed like he was just trying to catch his breath from a long run instead of like he was suffocating. He was breathlessly mumbling numbers as his eyes scanned the ceiling.

She didn’t want to interrupt, but something he said was bothering her. “Stiles?”

“Hm?”

“You said Ray counts with you. . Do you. . Does this happen often?” It was a delicate topic, and not one Lydia expected the boy to open up about. Still, she was worried about him. Now it was making sense why Ray had messaged her that morning asking her to watch after Stiles.

“We both do. It started happening for me after my mom died, but I think Ray’s always been. . She counts when she feels herself getting anxious. It’s like a soothing method or something to distract her. I don’t know, but she and Scotty used to count on my fingers when we were kids. I kind of grew out of it-or, well time helped I guess, but sometimes I still. .”

Lydia couldn’t imagine what it felt like to lose a parent. Now it probably felt like it was happening all over again for Stiles, and he didn’t have any control over it. If it was her mother missing, Lydia wouldn’t know what to do with herself. She probably wouldn’t make it out of bed, let alone drag herself to school like Stiles had.

The redhead pushed herself up from the floor to sit on the bench. She smoothed her dress then said, “If our school was at all normal, I would tell you to sign up for a few sessions with a guidance counselor. You and Ray both.”

Stiles let out a breathy chuckle. “Yeah, we should probably-“ He sat up quickly, looking like a lightbulb had gone off in his head. “Morrell.”

Later on, Ray and Deaton pushed through the front doors of the school. A familiar redhead was trying to leave just as they walked in. Lydia let out a sigh of relief as she saw her friend and grabbed Ray’s forearm to start telling her everything.

“They’re in the Nemeton.”

“The- what?”

“That makes sense,” Deaton said.

Lydia nodded feverishly. “You don’t happen to know where it is, do you?”

“I’m afraid not,” he painfully admitted.

Lydia looked back to Ray. “Then I have to go talk to Derek and Peter. They might know something.”

“Alone? Where’s Stiles?”

“Some detective is questioning him.”

“Shit,” Ray whispered, causing the vet and her friend to look at her in awe. “Sorry- the detective, is he tall?”

“Extremely. Why? You know him?”

“It’s Scott’s dad. He’s back in town doing who knows what, but he questioned us last night at the hospital. He thinks we know more than we let on.” Ray looked between the other two. She fished the set of keys out of her pocket and handed them to Deaton. “Give those back to Stiles for me?”

Deaton nodded. “Meet us at the clinic when you get the chance.”

As the vet walked off, Lydia grabbed Ray to stop her from going to the parking lot. “You aren’t going with him?”

“I’m going with you to Derek’s. That’s more important.”

“But- Stiles-“

“Will be fine with Deaton. Besides, do you really want to go talk with Derek and Peter alone?”

Lydia wasn’t going to argue with that. When Peter Hale slid open the apartment door, Lydia was very happy to have Ray by her side, staring down the man with a look that could kill. Reluctantly, Peter let them in. He made some sly remark about not liking the idea of letting a siren into his house.

Derek was quick to remind him, “Good thing it’s my place then, not yours.” The teen girls eased up on the death glares, now feeling half welcome. Cora was lying in a bed. Her skin was a sickly grey color. She didn’t look like she had much longer.

“She’s not getting better,” Ray realized.

“I’ve been taking her pain away as much as I can, but. . We still don’t know what’s really wrong with her.” He frowned down at his younger sister then looked over to the two girls that would have been in the same grade as her if Cora had even a sliver of a normal life. She was robbed of that. If Derek and Laura had known she was alive. . Everything would have been different.

“And there’s nothing we can do?” Ray sounded desperate and broken. She hadn’t been able to save Boyd, something Cora didn’t let her forget. Now Cora was dying, and Ray was just reminded how useless her powers really were. Healing minor cuts wasn’t needed in a world where supernatural creatures could heal themselves.

Derek didn’t want to answer. There was no point in speaking that terrifying truth. Instead, he asked, “What did you two come here for?”

Lydia spoke up, “We found out why Jennifer tried to kill me. Somehow I- I knew where she would be keeping them. It’s a root cellar. Stiles said you called it a Nemeton.”

Peter and Derek shared a knowing look. Derek nodded. “We’ve heard of it, but-“

“Good luck finding it,” Peter said gruffly.

“You don't know where it is? But Stiles said you'd been there,” Lydia told them.

“You said that’s where Derek took my cousin,” Ray spoke up, narrowing her eyes at Peter.

“I never said that was your cousin.”

“I read between the lines.” Her heart dropped from seeing the hurt look on Derek’s face. He wasn’t over what happened to Paige, and this new bit of information surprised him. Ray felt horrible for bringing it back up, but she figured it was best to lay the truth out there, the full truth. She went on, “Paige was a sea nymph, or, she was going to be when she turned sixteen. That’s why the bite didn’t take. It nearly killed her like it did Lydia.”

Lydia gave Derek a pleading look and asked, “So do you know how to get there?”

“I don’t,” he whispered.

Peter sighed and took over since Derek wasn’t in the right headspace to be questioned about it. “Talia, Derek’s mother and my older sister, decided that she didn't ever want us going back. She knew how dangerous it was and took the memory of its location from us.”

“But then how are we supposed to find it?” Lydia wondered.

Ray clenched her teeth together. Of course Peter wasn’t helpful. How could she have even gotten her hopes up that he would be? Did she think he was going to draw her up a map like a treasure hunt? X marks the spot of where your friends’ parents are being ritually sacrificed in the middle of the woods. Have fun on your search!

In the car, Lydia kept giving Ray odd side glances. Ray figured she must have been confused about Paige since that was probably the first she had heard of it all. To combat the silence, Ray started to explain her theory about Peter not liking sirens because he turned Ray’s aunt into one after Paige died. After her long-winded explanation, Lydia was still oddly quiet.

Ray quickly added, “Sorry. Just thought I’d bring you up to speed on that. You seemed. . Confused.”

“Conflicted, actually,” Lydia finally said. “The fact that your aunt wants Peter dead is not what’s bothering me. I actually don’t even find that surprising.”

“Then why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“No reason!” Ray rolled her eyes at Lydia’s guilty tone. “Look, Stiles may have accidentally told me you get anxiety. .”

The other girl scoffed and looked out the passenger window. So first he calls her perfect then he’s talking about her behind her back? She mumbled, “Asshole.”

“In his defense, he had just finished having a panic attack on his own and I was sort of prying for information.” Lydia glanced over at Ray and saw her shift uncomfortably, no doubt regretting calling the boy an ass and probably feeling like one herself. “Look, I just wanted to say, if you need to talk, or if you just want to hang out to distract yourself. . I’m here.”

“Thanks, Lyds.” Ray sat up straighter now that they were pulling into the parking lot for the clinic. The blue jeep they parked next two made her tense up. “Is he okay?”

“I tried to help, but he calmed himself down for the most part.”

Ray’s chest felt tight. She tried to swallow her guilt and move on. There was nothing she could do about Stiles having a panic attack after the fact. Her mother didn’t let her go to school, and she shouldn’t feel bad for taking one day off to rest. Besides, Lydia had been there to help him.

So why did she feel so horrible about it all?

The truth was, Ray wondered if she had forgiven Stiles right away that morning if then he would even have had a panic attack at all. Her anger must have made his anxiety worse. It definitely made hers worse throughout the day. Being on bad terms with Stiles always left her on edge. So whether or not she wanted to admit it out loud, Ray knew her coldness toward him that morning added to his stress. The problem was, Ray still didn’t know if she was completely over what he said. He had hit a nerve she didn’t even know she had.

Was her life perfect? Was she an ungrateful, seemingly perfect, boring, average, teenage girl? Is that how all her friends saw her? Did they just see two parents that love each other and assume everything was perfect all the time?

Inside the clinic, there was a tension in the air, something that went beyond the problems at large. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells, careful not to state the obvious. .

Scott wasn’t there.

It felt wrong trying to figure it all out without him. And then there was the other awkward tension: Stiles and Ray. The two stayed on opposite sides of the room at all costs. Neither dared to look directly at the other. Everyone else couldn’t help but think if Scott were here, he would know how to mend whatever was going on between the two. Scott always brought them back together again after arguments as kids. He was their middle ground. Their voice of reason.

Stiles wasn’t so sure Scott could fix the problem this time though. Scott couldn’t take back the words Stiles had said to Ray. Stiles would have to fix this on his own, he just didn’t know how and he didn’t have the time to figure that out at the moment.

“It has to be on a telluric current, or maybe even on the axis of two, or where they all intersect. I just know it’s where Derek took Paige to die.”

Allison spoke up, “My dad and Gerard were there once, but Gerard said it was years ago and he couldn’t remember where it was. And my dad, obviously. . isn’t here to tell us now.”

“Yeah, mine either,” Stiles said lowly.

“Then how do we find this place?” Isaac asked. All the teens looked to Deaton for advice.

“There might be a way, but it’s dangerous.” The vet looked to the kids, telling them, “We’re gonna need Scott.”

No matter how annoyed Ray was with Stiles, she wasn’t going to stay behind and miss out on seeing Scott. The more Deaton told them the plan, the more nervous Ray got. Her best friend, her boyfriend, and her friend she just got back we’re all going under in the tubs to quite literally die, even if it was just temporary. Scott couldn't even meet up with them at the clinic to tell him all this. They had to secretly meet with him in the woods. It all felt rushed and wrong.

“Essentially, you, Allison, and Stiles need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents.” The vet explained.

“We die for them?” It seemed as though Scott was having the same worries as Ray.

“But he can bring us back!” Stiles added, “You can. . you can bring us back, right?”

“You remember the part where I said it was dangerous?” The teens shared nervous glances. Ray thought she might be sick. Deaton went on, “If it goes right, the three of you will be dead for a few seconds, but there's something else you need to think about. This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time. This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon.”

“Doesn't sound any worse than anything we've already seen,” Stiles said. More than likely he was thinking of the kanima, but the way he glanced at Ray suggested he was thinking of her too. It wasn’t that Ray didn’t know she probably had a page or two dedicated to her in the bestiary. . She just. . didn’t want Stiles to think of her that way.

“You'd be surprised at what you have yet to see,” Deaton warned. “You will also need an object that symbolizes your parent, something meaningful, something that embodies them.”

“Is that it?” Scott asked warily.

“No. It'll also have an effect on the three of you and, to a lesser extent, those who hold you under.” He looked to Ray, letting her know this part was meant for her to hear as well. “You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar.”

“Like a tattoo,” Scott suggested, looking at his arm. He and Stiles shared a determined look. They didn’t care what the price was as long as their parents came home safe.

“There isn’t any other way we could. .,” Ray’s voice cut off. Her eyes glossed over as she met eyes with her neighbor.

“We don’t have the time to search through the forest, you know that,” Scott told her softly.

Ray pushed past Deaton and Stiles to hug Scott, wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up off the ground as she mumbled, “I miss you.”

He couldn’t tell her he’d be back soon like he desperately wanted to. He wasn’t sure what Deucalion had planned, and he didn’t want to get her hopes up just to let her down. All he could do was squeeze her tighter until Stiles reminded both of them they needed to search for objects that reminded them of their parents.

Twenty minutes later, Ray and Stiles had snuck into the sheriff’s station. It was a lot harder to do now that the FBI was running around the joint. Luckily, everyone was so preoccupied with searching for the sheriff, they let the two teens slip undetected past multiple locked doors and into the evidence room. Was it alarming to Ray that Stiles had multiple keys and keycards copied from the sheriff’s station? Yes. Was she going to lecture him about the dangers of doing that now? No. If anything, she was thankful her boyfriend was a low key criminal.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous digging through the shelves of the evidence room. The last time she was in here, the kanima, the hunters, and Allison were all eager to kill her. Every loud shuffle of a box or squeaky footstep had her on edge. Stiles kept insisting that they search in separate areas to cover more ground, but Ray kept wandering in his aisle just to be close to someone.

“You didn’t have to come,” Stiles grumbled when the sound of him moving a stack of papers made her nearly jump out of her skin.

“Maybe I wanted to spice up my criminal record, add more than just setting off fireworks to my repertoire. . You know, like stealing prison transport vans,” she whispered back bitterly.

“That was one time.”

“One time was enough to get you a restraining order.”

“Only because Jackson’s a-“ The doorknob giggled for a bread second. The teens froze and held their breaths. They could hear two people talking on the other side of the door. One of them was distinctly Scott’s dad.

Then two sets of footsteps shuffled away. The teens were able to relax and go back to searching. The boy stopped sifting through the evidence box and let out a shaky breath, mumbling, “No, no, oh god.”

“It’s gotta be here somewhere, Stiles. Don’t worry, okay?” Ray’s hands felt numb as she dug through the evidence box in front of her. The boy behind her let out a sob, causing her to turn around. What she hadn’t expected to see was the shiny badge they were looking for in the palm of his hand. It had been bent in half, making the printed title on it illegible. Ray let out a sigh of relief. “You found it.”

“This is going to work.” He squeezed the badge in his hand then acted like he was going to throw it, but Ray gently tugged his arm back down. She pried his hand open to examine the badge closer. It didn’t resemble a star at all, just a ball of metal.

“It’ll work. It’s the meaning behind it, not what it looks like.”

“It ruined. I can’t use something that’s ruined,” Stiles insisted. “I’ll just have to think of something else.” He checked his watch to see how much time they had left before they were meant to meet everyone at Deaton’s. He only had thirty minutes to think of a new object and find it.

Ray looked around the evidence room. Her eyes landed on the fire extinguisher and suddenly the tension in her shoulders diminished. “I know how we can fix it.”

“It’s ruined, Ray. Just junk.” He tried to toss it in the trash bin, but Ray grabbed it out of his hand.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Stiles rolled his eyes and was ready to make some witty comment until his sight landed on the girl. There were dark circles under her eyes from stress and not being able to sleep. Her cheeks were red and not in a cute way like how sometimes she would blush at him, but her skin was irritated from wiping the tears away over and over on the car ride there. When he had tried to comfort her in the jeep, she had shrugged him off and tried to act like she was fine. Clearly, she wasn’t. So Stiles had pushed her about it.

_“It’s stupid and selfish, but I- I don’t want you to do this, or Scott, or Ali. I don’t want to lose you.”_

_“Ray, we have to-“_

_“I know! I know. I said it was stupid. Just- just forget I said anything.”_

She didn’t approve of this plan, that much was clear. Still, Ray was willing to break into the station with him to search for his dad’s badge.

“You’re the only person I trust right now,” he said honestly. With his dad gone and Scott agreeing to work with Deucalion, Stiles was losing the already small circle of people he had one hundred percent faith in.

“Then I’m going to need your car keys again,” she told him.

“Now, hold on a second-“

A few moments later, she was driving silently without telling him her plan. Stiles was even more confused when she parked outside her stepdad’s place of work. Ray got out wordlessly. Stiles hurried after her, making note of the red line along the curb.

“I don’t think we can park there.”

“Stiles, your dad is the sheriff and Marcus is the Captain of this place, okay? I don’t exactly know what that means, but pirate captains own their ship. So since my _technical_ dad _technically_ owns this place and your dad _technically_ owns this town-“

“That’s not how it works-“

“We can park wherever the hell we see fit. We’re practically Beacon Hills royalty.”

“Yeah, the two royal jesters at best,” he grumbled. Stiles was nervous to leave his Jeep out front of the fire station, but part of him liked the way she explained it. He was definitely going to remember that excuse for future arguments with his dad.

Waltzing into the fire station at one in the morning was bound to turn a few heads. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly what Stiles pictured, though he supposed he couldn’t expect them to be wearing their fire-resistant suits all day and all night. The front entryway was decorated with plaques and trophies along the walls with doors leading to the restrooms and one leading down a long looking hallway. Stiles got distracted looking at a memorial picture of a woman who had passed while trying to pull children from a fire. What had caught his eye initially was the year of her passing which had lined up with the Hale fire.

Ray noticed she was no longer being followed and had to turn around to collect her boyfriend from ogling at the golden framed pictures along the wall. Her hand firmly grabbed his to make him look at her. In an effort to stay under the radar, she leaned in close to whisper, “Stay right behind me, and don’t say anything to anyone.”

That puzzled him. He wanted to ask why, but she had quickly dragged him down the hall, walking at lightning speed. The first door was just a closet, but the next led to a training room with big windows. None of the firefighters seemed to notice or care that two teens were speeding down the hallway. That is until a man came around a corner from another hallway and ran into Ray. He was quick to adjust his arm so that his coffee didn’t spill.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he mumbled before looking at the teens and taking in their frazzled state. “Jesus. You guys aren’t dropping off a baby, are you? Damn. Second one this week.”

“Nerine!” A woman yelled from down the hall where she was leaned her head out of the dining hall. “The hell you doing here this late?”

“Just needed to talk to Marcus.”

“Oh shit, you Captain Mahealani’s kid?” The man with the coffee asked.

“He’s my stepdad.”

“Oh, rad. Love that guy.” The man with the coffee continued his walk down the hall, no longer questioning why the teens were there so late.

The woman from the dining hall didn’t seem too phased either. She gave Ray a big smile and said, “In his office.”

“Figured, thanks, Maxwell.”

Then Ray was tugging on Stiles’s hand again. They rushed down another hallway and stopped in front of a door with Marcus Mahealani’s name primed on the golden plaque. Stiles was examining everything in the hall with wonder in his eyes. That expression just wasn’t going to work for what Ray had planned.

“He’s not going to help if you don’t tug at his heartstrings.”

“What?” Stiles asked in confusion.

“Stiles, I’ll give you the full tour of the station another time. For now, put the Wonder Boy eyes away and bring out the waterworks.”

She knocked twice then let herself into the office, dragging Stiles in behind her. The room was far smaller than Stiles had pictured, almost the size of a closet with barely enough room for Marcus to get around his desk. Marcus had his chin in hand as he glossed over a file. He jolted at the sound of the door opening and tried to look like he was working harder than he really was by sitting up and squinting harshly at the paper.

“We need a favor,” was Ray’s way of announcing herself.

Marcus looked up from his paper in shock. The last person he expected to walk into his work office at this hour was his stepdaughter. “Raymona, Jesus- you. .” His face softened as he took in their state. “What’s happened?”

She put the badge on his desk and let him pick it up and turn it over before asking him, “Can you bend it back somehow?”

“Honey, it’s one in the morning. Can’t this wait until-“ That’s when he made eye contact with Stiles and noticed the tears threatening to fall. “Oh, alright. Come on, follow me, but don’t touch anything.”

That’s how they ended up in the garage of the fire station. While Marcus hammered the badge into place at the workbench, Ray chatted with that woman firefighter. Firewoman? Female fireman? Stiles wasn’t sure, but he was glad he got to stare in amazement at the four fire trucks. He learned that four was a lot for a town as small as theirs, but since they lived in the middle of the woods where fires spread in the blink of an eye, four was necessary. He also learned that Marcus’s office was so small because the Captain wasn’t even the highest-ranking firefighter at the station. With a title like Captain, Stiles figured he would have been top dog.

“Cheerleading, really? That must be fun. My best friend was a cheerleader and she loved it,” Maxwell told Ray.

“Did you play any sports?”

“Volleyball! Oh volleyball was really big for the girls at my high school.”

Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow then handed the badge to Stiles. The metal was clearly beaten up and scratched, but the shape was nearly perfect to how it was before. He swiped his thumb over the word Sheriff then looked up at Marcus.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The older man placed a heavy hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Your dad meant a lot to this crew. As soon as deputies tell us where to start looking, we’ll all be out there searching day and night until he’s found.” The man stood up straight and glared at his stepdaughter. “Now you get this young man home and both of you get some rest, got it? I don’t want to have to explain any of this to your mother.”

The massive garage doors opened for the kids. Ray hugged her stepdad then ran after Stiles and took the boy’s hand, saying, “See? All fixed.”

Stiles watched in awe as the garage doors shut again. Soon they were left with just the dim street lights illuminating their walk back to the jeep. Ray gave him a bittersweet smile over her shoulder.

“Guess this means you really do have to go in that tub, huh?”

It became clear to Stiles how easily Ray could have looked at that shriveled up hunk of metal and taken it as her opportunity to convince Stiles out of the plan. It would have been just as easy as letting him give up when he wanted to. She hadn’t. The last thing she wanted was for him to sacrifice himself, but she was helping him do it.

“Why are you helping me?” Stiles asked her.

“Why does the grass grow, why does the sun rise?” Ray waved her hand around sarcastically, “I don’t know, Stiles. What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because of what I said last night.”

“Oh, you know what, you’re right. Give me that. I’ll have Marcus hammer it back.”

Stiles held the badge to his chest. “Are you crazy?!”

“Are you!? What? You think I’d hold a grudge and not help you out because you’ve said one mean thing our entire relationship while under immense stress? Stiles, now is not the time for me to be petty. Am I annoyed that you think my life is all sunshine and rainbows? Of course! But if being annoyed with you made me not want to help find your dad, then that would make me the world’s shittiest girlfriend.”

“So. . You aren’t mad anymore?”

“Not mad. Like I said, annoyed. And after we find your dad, you’re definitely gonna have to make up for it. I’m thinking infinite curly fries, and since you think I’m so perfect, I’m going to need a whole list of reasons for why I’m so perfect.”

“I could start now-“

“No, no.” She held her hand up. “We need to get to the clinic, remember? Find your dad first then tell me about how perfect I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--QUESTION-- Do you guys want a sex scene or do you want it just casually mentioned that it happened after it happens? You can leave a comment or an anon on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/babyjeep) if you prefer!
> 
> The name of this chapter is dedicated to Deaton and Marcus.
> 
> I feel like Ray got a little taste of, “Oh, Stiles is a perfect robot boyfriend that always says the right thing all the time.” Listen, I love Stiles because he’s flawed. In the show, his two major support beams are Scott and his dad. During this episode, he doesn’t have either of those, and he’s a teenage boy acting out of hotheaded emotion (which we see a lot in season five but the one I’m thinking of at the moment is season one when he fills up that dog bowl for Scott). Also impulsivity and heighten emotions are some symptoms of ADHD that don’t really get discussed in media. Stiles shows those throughout the show, but I feel like no one ever talks about it!! Those were definitely symptoms I struggled with around his age.
> 
> Anyway! Teenagers. So dramatic.
> 
> Lots of things happened this chapter! Derek knows Paige was related to Ray. The Allison and Ray friendship is back in business. Danny existed. I love Danny. I don’t know how y’all act with your siblings, but I have three older sisters and a younger brother and we were never able to be in a room alone for more than three seconds. Someone was always walking in! Especially if you didn’t want them to! Once I was stealing chips from the kitchen in the middle of the night and my older sister tiptoed in to steal money out of our dad’s wallet. She handed me three ones to keep quiet and I used them to buy a tiger beat magazine and an Arizona tea. Then I told my mom what she did a week later (probably to deflect from something I did).  
> Ah, siblings.


	36. Emotional Tether

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Adult content (read: smut) at the end of the chapter. It's separated with an asterisk.
> 
> This chapter is 12.5k without the smut and 17.9k with, so either way, grab a snack and your usual cup of hot caffeination.

An unsettling and unspoken nervousness lingered over the room. Ray wondered if it was too late to beg her friends not to do this. But asking them to not go through with the only plan they had to save their parents would have been pointless. She knew they would do anything to get their parents back. Scott had even gone with Deucalion for help.

“Alright, what did you bring?” Deaton asked the three.

Stiles spoke up first, “Um, I got my dad's badge. Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so Marcus hammered it out a bit. Still doesn't look how it used to.”

“Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning,” Deaton told him.

Ray mumbled under her breath, “Told you so,” which earned an eye roll from the boy.

“Is that an actual silver bullet?” Isaac asked hesitantly.

Allison nodded. “My dad made it. It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code.”

“Scott?” Deaton called to him.

Scott held up a necklace with three stones. “My dad got my mom this necklace when I was born. It’s our birthstones. She used to say me and this necklace were the only good things to come out of her marriage.”

Deaton nodded and started explaining the process. “Okay, the three of you will get in. Someone will hold you down until you're essentially. . Well, dead.”

The teens all shifted uncomfortably. Stiles locked eyes with Scott then looked down at Ray beside him. Her eyes were focused on Deaton, but Stiles could tell by the way she was biting the inside of her cheek that she wasn’t happy.

The vet went on, “But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether.”

As Allison took off her jacket, Isaac was there to hold it for her. Her soft smile that was meant just for him had been noticed by everyone else in the room. Even Deaton noticed the small gesture and felt like he had to speak up.

“Isaac, I assumed you would go with Scott since he will be needing someone not only with a strong connection but also the physical strength to hold him down.”

The blonde boy looked like a deer caught in headlights. “No yeah. Of course. That’s what I planned too, I wasn’t- um.” He quickly put Allison’s jean jacket on the counter.

“It’s okay,” Scott told him softly.

“Um, no it’s not,” Lydia said bluntly, earning surprised looked from around the room. “What? It’s not like I’ll be strong enough to hold a werewolf down.”

“Good thing you’ll be holding me down, though. . I don’t know if you’ll manage that either,” Allison joked. “You have to be pretty strong to string a crossbow.”

Lydia and Isaac switched places and Lydia mused, “At least I know you won’t bite me.”

“Only if you ask me to.”

Stiles nudged Ray to pull her from her vacant gaze and said, “Guess that leaves us?”

Allison hesitantly dipped her toe in the water to test the temperature. The other two going under got in position. Stiles looked over his shoulder at Ray, half expecting her to tell him not to do this. Her hand was clutched tight around her necklace. She caught his gaze and allowed herself to whisper the only thing on her mind that wasn’t asking him to not do this, “I love you.”

On each side of them, Allison and Scott were stepping into their tubs. Stiles whispered back a quick, “I know,” before stepping into the ice himself. It was colder than he anticipated, so he quickly lowered himself in to get it over with, submerging himself nearly to his neck. The water splashed against his shoulders and fell to the floor, hitting Ray on her knees since she had fallen in place behind him.

Her hands grabbed his head and made him look up at her. Even though she seemed upside down and it should have felt funny, Stiles felt like he couldn't breathe when they locked eyes. He hadn’t expected her to be smiling down at him. She chastised him, “You did not just Han Solo me. Say it back, loser.”

If his cheeks weren’t already red from the cold, they would have been from how she was calling him out in a room full of their closest friends. They had said it a million times. He didn’t know why this time felt so intimate. Probably because he feared it would be the last.

Stiles was breathless from the ice hitting his back. “Just thought it was fitting, you know, because then he’s frozen in carbonite.”

Isaac snickered then caught Scott’s confused look. “What? You haven’t seen Emperor Strikes Back?”

“He hasn’t seen any other them,” Stiles grumbled.

“Look, if we make it back, I’ll consider it,” Scott promised.

The playfulness on Stiles’s face dropped. “Scott, if I don’t make it out of this and you do, you should know. . Your dad’s in town.”

A look of panic washed over Scott’s features. He almost looked like a kid again, that same kid that would end up climbing through Ray’s window at random times to escape one of his dad’s drunken rampages. He would be scared and worried his dad would come looking for him. Ray would lock her window and close the curtains so that they could hide away from the world. Sometimes Scott would spend the night without their mother’s even knowing. They’d make a fort with her blankets and waste perfectly good sketch paper on silly designs they wanted on the back of their skateboards for the Tony Hawk game Scott had on his Nintendo64.

“He doesn’t know we’re here,” Ray reminded him in hopes of calming the boy.

Her words were enough for Isaac to connect the dots, realizing why Scott suddenly got so fearful. All those times Scott asked him how he was doing at school were starting to make sense. When Scott offered to give him a ride to Derek’s, it was more than a friendly gesture. Scott knew then that he and Isaac had more in common than just this werewolf stuff. Scott’s touches to grab Isaac’s attention were always soft so that he wasn’t startled. Melissa rarely ever raised her voice at them. She moved slowly around both of them, not because she feared what they were, but because she didn’t want to bring up memories from other parents.

Isaac didn’t care who Scott’s dad was. He wasn’t going to let that man hurt Scott ever again.

“Are you ready?” Lydia whispered, playing with Allison’s hair to get it out of her face.

With her family’s line of work, Allison never spent a full year at a school. Oftentimes, just as Allison was close enough with a group to consider them friends, they’d be packing up and moving to the next town where her dad was needed. Usually, it took weeks to get invited to hang out with someone. No one had ever declared her a friend on her first day of moving somewhere as Lydia had. Allison had been shocked when Lydia invited her to watch lacrosse practice that day after school. It only took a week for it to feel like Allison was living in a movie, a normal one where teen girls hung out and talked about boys. Before Lydia, Allison had only ever been close like that with her aunt.

Allison grabbed Lydia’s wrist then nodded. She looked over at Stiles and Scott who seemed to be ready as well. Ray’s fingers locked up as she dipped her hands into the bath. Stiles’s shoulders still felt slightly warm in comparison to the frigid waters around him. He took his last breath then went under. The further Ray’s arms sunk in the water to hold him down, the colder her chest felt. It was like someone was pouring ice into her back. Once the boy stopped struggling against her hold, she jumped back from the tub and wrapped her arms around herself to try and combat the burning feeling from the ice. Lydia had been doing the same.

Isaac was looking down at the tub in shock at what he had just done. He was wondering if he was enough to bring Scott back. If it was him in the tub, Scott would be able to bring Isaac back. When he had nowhere else to go, Scott opened his home. Even back when they were on different sides, Scott was worried about Isaac’s wellbeing. He’d never forget how Scott told him to be careful and not get hurt while they were trying to capture the kanima at the rave. Until then, all Isaac had ever done was cause problems for Scott and his friends.

Deaton would have been a better choice to do this. Or even Lydia who had been Scott’s friend longer than Isaac had. Isaac felt like he should have said something before, backed out, and let the vet that Scott saw as a father figure hold him under.

“Hey,” Ray called to the boy, her teeth chattered from the cold. She had caught him staring into the tub with tears forming in his eyes. “They’ll be back soon.”

Isaac nodded in agreement, but he was just too scared to say what he was really thinking. It was possible he had just killed Ray’s best friend because. . What if Scott didn’t come back? What if Isaac wasn’t enough to pull him back?

With Stiles under, Ray took the opportunity to pull Deaton aside in his office to ask him a few things. She needed to know more about sea nymphs, but she didn’t want Stiles or any of her friends to know why.

But now with the vet standing before her and waiting to hear what she had to say, Ray was getting cold feet. What she wanted to do was back out of the room or melt into a puddle on the floor because admitting to someone what she did to Derek, or what she could have done. . His power had quite literally been at her fingertips. It was so tempting in the moment to take that power that felt so good and warm and strong. All of that had her worried that Peter was right. Maybe she was always destined to be the creature her father spoke so lowly about. . A siren in the making.

“Raymona, would you like to have a seat?” Deaton spoke almost clinical in hopes of calming the girl. She nodded and gingerly sank into the guest chair. He sat in his office chair as well as a way to seem on her level and not so overwhelming.

“I’m sorry,” Ray mumbled out of the blue.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Obviously, something is troubling you. Take your time. All we have right now is time anyway.”

He was referring to the three in the tubs and how they couldn’t do much until they came back with the information about the Nemeton. What he didn’t know was, Ray felt like this was the only time she could speak up. It wasn’t that she wanted to admit all these things, but with Scott and Stiles distracted for a while, she had Deaton to herself.

“When we were at the hospital the other night, Derek was. . His heartbeat was so faint. There wasn’t a defibrillator around so I- I did it myself.”

“That was smart, thinking under pressure like that to save him,” Deaton told her.

But Ray wasn’t fishing for compliments. She nervously picked at her nail polish and wasn’t making eye contact. “My dad just- He never mentioned using our powers like that.”

The vet smiled. He now realized what she was wanting to say. Since she was too shy, he brought it up himself, “You know, Derek called me this morning to tell me you did that. He was wondering if that sort of thing is normal for sea nymphs.”

The girl finally stopped picking at her nails and looked up at him. “Is it?”

“Has your father told you the myth of the fifty Nereids?”

“The daughters of Nereus. We’re descendants of them.”

“Then I’m sure you’re aware that each of the fifty daughters had her own set of powers?” Deaton mused. Ray blushed and shook her head in shame. Her father wasn’t very useful or informative. “Well, each daughter was tasked with watching over a different part of the sea. Take, for instance, Amphithoe who controlled the currents, Galateia who created the sea foam, or Keto who watched over the sea monsters.”

Ray shivered and shifted uncomfortably. She wondered how much of this myth was real.

Deaton went on, “Or there were others like Doto who was tasked with giving sailors a safe voyage or fisherman a good catch. The people were quite fond of her.”

“So there was one who conjured lighting to bring people back from the edge of death?”

Deaton chuckled. “Well, not exactly. A few come to mind like Dynamine who controlled the power of the sea, but your powers remind me more of those of Oreithyia who controlled the raging sea. She created the storms that the sailors were so afraid of. A lot of her sisters were tasked with calming the waves and the sea, so she often felt like she was forced to work against everyone. Her storms often came from her lashing out.”

“So she was a siren?”

“She may have been labeled that, but a true siren is one consumed by their power. Oreithyia knew her job was to create the storms so that her sisters could protect the sailors. Without her, her sisters wouldn’t be of much use. . But sea nymphs today aren’t often born with the ability to create pearls or assemble schools of fish. Those lineages with passive abilities have been taken out by hunters over the years. All that remains are those who can defend themselves, which is often what is seen by outsiders, but what happens when a sea nymph is not using her abilities to protect just herself?”

He leaned back in his chair and let the girl take all that in. After a moment of thought, Ray said, “It’s not common then, what I did to Derek.”

“Not commonly practiced, no, but it’s not out of your abilities.”

“I- so I’m not becoming a siren?” Ray’s heart was pounding as she waited for the vet’s confirmation.

“It’s true that too much power can lead you down a dark path, but the way Scott speaks of you. . Raymona, I don’t think you are in danger of ever becoming that.

Ray touched her necklace that hung over the bandaid from her burn. “But with Derek, I could feel his power. It was like I was able to take it. . What if I do accidentally take power?”

“The universe favors balance. If you aren’t actively seeking power, things tend to balance themselves out.”

The office door burst open. A frantic looking woman wrapped her arms around her daughter and was muttering thanks for her answered prayers in Spanish. Ray was scared for a moment that Sonia would start yelling, but she released her tense shoulders after she realized her mother was really just happy to see her.

“No call! No text!” Her mother said. “You were gone all night, and what’s this Isaac was just telling me about the ice baths? I thought we agreed you wouldn’t sneak around anymore?”

“I’m gonna step out,” Deaton offered politely.

“Oh no you are not,” Sonia said harshly. “Why are those children underwater? What is the meaning of all this? We’ve already lost Noah and Melissa and- Ray, what’s your friend’s father’s name? The one Marcus is friends with?”

“Chris.”

“Right! Chris! And now you have their children essentially dead-“

Ray glared at Isaac through the open office door. He looked like he was regretting telling Sonia everything, but how could he not? She came into the clinic crying and freaking out about her daughter then saw the tubs and- It’s not like Isaac could have lied! What would he have said, that they’re sleeping?

“Mom,” Ray said as she stood up to offer her mother the chair. “Maybe you should have a seat.”

“Have a seat? Raymona, mi ahijado está muriendo allí!”

“He’s not dying! Isaac will bring him back.”

In the main room, Isaac was scratching the back of his head and looking rather pale. Lydia tilted her head and whispered to him, “Why do you look like you don’t believe what Ray just said?”

Isaac spoke under his breath so that the others couldn’t hear, “I don’t think I was the right choice for holding Scott under.”

Lydia could see where Isaac was coming from. If running into a burning building was a declaration of love for someone, then Scott McCall must love every human being on earth. Sometimes it was hard to decipher those who meant more to him because he just cared so much for everyone. Scott would save someone because it was the right thing to do, but he doesn’t worry about the well being of everyone all the time. Most of the time, he’s worrying about Isaac. She had witnessed Scott giving Isaac rides to Derek’s on the back of his bike after school more times than she had seen Scott riding alone. He wasn’t offering up the back of his seat to every Mary Sue in town, just Isaac.

Because Scott wanted Isaac around. He saw Isaac go from doing questionable things with Derek to making good choices and fighting alongside him. He had faith in Isaac.

“He trusts you,” Lydia told him.

“What?”

“Scott. He trusts you. He wants you around. Why do you think he asked if you needed a ride every day after school?”

Isaac blushed. “He was being nice.”

“Yes, of course, he was being nice. He’s Scott McCall. What I’m saying is, he wouldn’t be spending all that time with you voluntarily if he didn’t see you as a friend.”

Isaac looked at the tubs then asked, “You think that’s enough?”

Lydia was looking at the tubs too, specifically her best friend’s. “I sure hope so.”

What felt like an eternity went by before Ray fell asleep on Isaac’s shoulder with Lydia’s head in her lap. The three didn’t get much sleep before Isaac was startled awake by a loud splash. His jumpiness had woken Ray up which woke Lydia up. Both girls gave him side eyes for moving for much.

“I thought,” he mumbled, frowning at the tubs. “Never mind.”

“For a second there, I thought you might have developed the ability to think,” Ray grumbled in annoyance as she readjusted herself to lean against the wall instead of him to sleep on.

“Guess he really is just a pretty face,” Lydia mused from Ray’s lap.

Isaac rolled his eyes. “It just sounded like water fell out, but obviously I was-“

Scott’s hand splashed out of the water and grabbed onto the side of the tub. He pulled himself up out of the water, gasping for air. By then Isaac had already jumped to his feet to race over to the other boy. Stiles and Allison were quick to follow, causing waves of water to crash all over the tiled floor.

“Scott,” Isaac breathed out. He could finally let go of that terrible feeling he had for the last sixteen hours.

“Ali!” Lydia wrapped a towel around her friend and helped her not slip as she stepped out of the ice bath.

Ray steadied Stiles who was having a hard time standing upright in the tub. She hugged him from behind and buried her face in his shoulder, not caring at all about his freezing wet clothes getting all over her.

“I saw it,” Scott said breathlessly, “I know where it is.”

Stiles nodded. He was able to adamantly talk with his hands since Ray was practically holding him up and balancing him. “We passed it. There's- There's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big.”

“It was the night we were looking for the body.”

“Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter.”

“I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone,” Allison added.

Scott looked at her with wide eyes, “It was me. You almost hit me!”

“So it worked?” Ray asked as she helped Stiles out of the tub.

“We can find it,” Scott said confidently.

“If we have the time to find it,” Lydia mumbled.

“What?” Allison asked her.

Isaac explained, “You guys were out a long time.”

“How long is a long time?” Stiles asked as Ray bear-hugged him again after throwing a towel on his shoulders.

Deaton spoke up, “Sixteen hours.”

“We've been in the water for sixteen hours?” Scott blurted out. No wonder the other three were hugging them so tightly. That must have been the longest sixteen hours of their lives.

“And the full moon rises in less than four,” his boss told him.

That lit a fire under them to come up with a plan quick. Scott reluctantly reminded all of them he had to tell the Alphas all of this and go back to working alongside them.

Stiles was not happy with that reminder, “No, dude, you are not going back with them.”

It was sweet of him to be worried for Scott, but they needed all the help they could get at the moment.

“I made a deal with Deucalion,” Scott said.

“Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?”

“Why does it matter, anyway?” Isaac wondered. What he really wanted to ask was: If Scott wasn’t part of their pack yet, why did he feel the need to go back?

“Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help,” Scott admitted.

Allison looked to Deaton, “He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong.”

“I'm not so sure he is. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies,” Deaton told them.

Isaac scoffed. “So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy?”

“I wouldn't trust him, no,” Deaton said, “-but you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait.”

“He doesn’t know that I know he can see when he’s transformed. If he helps with Jennifer, then maybe I can use that to get away after. .,” Scott told them.

“You’re not going alone,” Ray said lowly. Now that she had that talk with Deaton, she felt more confident in using her powers. If she had them, and there was no threat of becoming a siren, wouldn’t it be wrong to not use them?

Stiles’s eyes went wide. It was his first instinct to fight it and ask her not to go, but then he remembered watching her bring Derek back from the verge of death. And that was while she was suffering from the concussion. She seemed to be better rested now, as much as any one of them could have been at the moment. He knew she’d be okay if she went with Scott. Knowing that didn’t keep him from nervously biting his nails so that he wouldn’t blurt out and beg her to stay.

“Ray might be the solution to capturing Jennifer alive,” Deaton said, causing the girl to curl in on herself and look down. None of her friends knew about that yet, but most importantly. . She hadn’t told Stiles.

“What does that mean?” Isaac asked Deaton.

“When I was saving Derek, I could feel his power. I think I could have taken it.” Her words fell on a silent room of vacant stares. Most of her friends looked terrified, if not that then just shocked. Their quietness made her feel like a little kid in a dark bedroom with a broken nightlight.

Scott reached across Stiles’s lap to hold her hand. “That’ll be the last resort.”

Stiles stood up, breaking the hand-holding between his two best friends so he could storm toward the back room. Isaac flinched as Stiles harshly grabbed the pile of his extra clothes on the counter on his way out. Lydia turned to look at Scott and Ray to see their reactions, wondering if that behavior was normal. Stiles's best friend had his head in his hands while his girlfriend was sucking in her teeth, clearly about to blow steam.

“What just happened?” Allison bravely asked.

Ray stood up roughly like Stiles had. Scott grabbed her wrist and begged, “Don’t go start a fight, please. Just- just let him.”

“Did you see how he made Isaac flinch?” Isaac blushed and looked like he was trying to make himself smaller. Ray went on, “He has no right to be acting like that.”

Scott didn’t know what to say. Honestly, Ray was right. It wasn’t cool to be making harsh movements around Isaac. Everyone here knew of the boy’s past. Even if Stiles was just grabbing his clothes that happened to be next to the other boy, he didn’t have to be so aggressive about it.

“You know Stiles doesn’t mean to. He’s skipped how many doses lately? You know it makes him irritable,” Scott reasoned. He hoped Ray would see from his perspective and let Stiles be, so he dropped her wrist. Big mistake because Ray immediately walked off to the back room. She made a point to not slam the door, no matter how had she wanted to.

Stiles had just finished pulling up a pair of dry boxers before she slipped in. His fleeting irritation shifted to embarrassment, but he masked it with anger.

“The hell are you doing in here?”

The small back room was lined with boxes, leaving about the standing space of a broom closet. There wasn’t a full arm's length between them, and the chain from the lightbulb was swinging from Ray running into it when she had shut the door. The whole speech she had in her head just a moment ago seemed to have been lost somewhere between the hallway and the fact that her boyfriend wasn’t wearing pants. She swallowed thickly then turned to face the door.

“Can you put pants on?”

“What do you think I was trying to do before you barged in here?” There was a bit of fumbling around, Stiles hit his elbow against a shelf twice, then finally a loud, painfully awkward zip. “Okay, I’m _half_ -decent.”

Ray cut straight to the chase, not letting her boyfriend’s shirtless chest distract her, “You need to be more careful with your movements around Isaac.”

Stiles winced. “I wasn’t thinking about that. .Fuck- sorry. I’ll apologize to him later.” Then Ray awkwardly shuffled her feet, and Stiles remembered he was mad at her. “Is that what you came here for?”

Initially yeah, she had wanted to yell at him, and she hadn’t expected him to admit he was wrong and apologize so quickly. If she hadn’t been able to read his emotions, she probably would have left on that note. But despite apologizing, he was still irritated. With her plans to follow Scott to Deucalion, she didn’t want to leave anything unsaid.

“Are you mad because I didn’t tell you about what happened with Derek?”

Much to her dismay, he put on his dry shirt while he thought about it. If anything he was embarrassed that he found out in the way he did, at the same time as all their friends. Stiles had been with her when she saved Derek, and for some reason, she hadn’t confided in him, her own boyfriend.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, ignoring her question.

“I. .”

He ran his fingers through his wet hair to push the front off his forehead. His tongue poked the inside of his cheek like he was trying to keep himself from saying something he’d regret, but he just couldn’t help himself.

“Because that’s what you do, right? You keep secrets.”

It was true. Ray knew she had a track record of keeping information from the people she loved because she was afraid of their reaction. That’s why she waited so long to tell Danny about the supernatural. That’s why even though things were good with her mother, Ray still hadn’t told her about the ice baths.

But this was different from that. She didn’t want her friends and family to see her as some power consumed siren who couldn’t control herself. The plan was to keep it to herself until she had it figured out. Her talk with Deaton had made her feel better about it all. If she could have, she would have told Stiles first.

“Sorry I’m not Miss Perfect all the time,” she grumbled.

“Are you seriously still not over that?”

“You made me feel like- like you were mad my mom was safe.”

“I didn’t mean to-,” His hand softly tucked some hair behind her ear so he could see more of her face. “-Ray, I love your mom, okay? That’s not what I meant. I was just being stupid and jealous because your family is amazing. I love all of them. And I just- I was being awful to you because all my life I’ve just wanted what you have now, but I’m an idiot because I already have all of those things I’m jealous of. Scott’s my brother. Melissa is like a mom to me. If your life is perfect, then so is mine. I have them and I have you.”

It seemed for a second like he might kiss her, but his fingers just kept combing through her hair as he frowned, clearly lost in thought.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Derek,” Ray whispered, “I was scared.”

“Was that the first time you’ve been able to do that?” Ray nodded a yes to him. Stiles closed his eyes and thought about it before adding, “You don’t trust me?”

“I do, I do, I swear I just- I didn’t know I could even do that, and I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”

No matter how mad Stiles felt at that moment, he couldn’t stop himself from bringing her head to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Sometimes he forgot that she wasn’t always confident in her powers like she was when she came back from summer break. Last year she hadn’t even accepted that she had powers until winter formal. Then she struggled to control them on full moons and new moons when the tide was stronger. Back then they weren’t even as strong as they were now, but she was scared to even tell Scott she had them.

Stiles had never been afraid of her. Afraid of driving through one of her storms? Maybe, but not her. Even after she learned how to stun people like she had with Matt at the station, Stiles still never feared she’d use that power on him.

“I’m sorry, Ray, but I’ve been listening to your empty threats my whole life, okay? If you actually wanted to hurt me, you would have fed me to Danny’s cats a long time ago.”

She was thankful he thought of it like that, but Ray wasn’t so sure. “What if I end up like my aunt?”

A knock on the closet door had both of them sighing.

“Guys, sorry to interrupt, but we gotta head out. Are you coming with me, Ray?” Scott asked through the door. Ray reached for the handle only to be stopped by Stiles guiding her hand back to him.

“We’ll be out in a sec!” Stiles called back.

Before Ray could protest, her parted lips were being met with a feverish kiss like Stiles was trying to make up for the last five minutes they wasted on arguing.

On the other side of the door, their concerned friend jumped back in surprise as something, or rather _someone_ was shoved up against the closed door followed by a breathy plea he never wanted to hear come out of his neighbor’s mouth ever again. Unwanted images of what he assumed was going on flashed through his head. Scott shivered in disgust and walked back to the main room, desperately wishing he didn’t have supernatural hearing.

“Is she coming?” Allison asked when she saw the odd look on Scott’s face.

“Sounds like it,” Isaac said under his breath.

Ray stumbled out of the closet with her clothes slightly more disheveled than they were going in. Stiles came out holding his wet pile of clothes with his hair drying in a wild state. After noticing everyone staring at them, Ray looked over her shoulder and immediately felt her cheeks go warm from how red and swollen Stiles’s lips looked. If he looked like that, her neck must look like she was attacked by slugs. She quickly tried to smooth down Stiles’s hair to make him look slightly less guilty.

Allison smirked. “Were you just-“

“-Kissing my boyfriend goodbye? Yes, I was.” There was no reason for her to lie. The evidence was damning. Stiles sent Scotty a proud wink that made the werewolf want to shove his friend’s head in a toilet. Scott suddenly understood why Ray used to tease him about always being hot and heavy with Allison. Even though he was happy the two were finally together, part of him wanted to hold up a giant sign that said, _We get it!_

“Where’s Lydia?” Stiles asked.

“You’d know if you weren’t playing seven minutes in heaven,” Isaac quipped.

Scott explained, “She went with Ethan to help stop Aiden from killing Derek.”

Ray’s eyes went wide, “And you let her?”

“If Ethan and Lydia can get Aiden to stop Kali, then Derek is one last thing we have to worry about tonight,” Allison told her.

“Stiles we need you to go get something that smells like your dad so Isaac can help narrow down the search for the Nemeton.”

“I’ll get you a pair of his underwear,” Stiles said to Isaac in a slimy tone.

“I am not smelling your dad’s underwear.”

“Well, that’s what you’re getting.” Stiles, like always, was clearly enjoying dishing it out to Isaac.

“Stiles,” Ray said, nudging the boy.

“Fine. I’ll get you a pair of his socks,” Stiles offered. Isaac grimaced. Ray nudged Stiles again. “Oh, and I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable earlier. I wasn’t thinking and it won’t happen again.”

Before Isaac could make a sarcastic remark in response, Scott went on with the plan, “We’re going to Allison’s to get something that could help us against Deucalion. You’re riding with me, right Ray?”

Her eyes lit up. “On the bike?”

“Hmm, no. No, that’s where I draw the line,” Stiles said. He knew how clumsy Ray was on a regular bike, and he also knew how fun it was being in the back of Scott’s. Once Ray got a taste of that freedom, she’d want one of her own then end up spending their senior year in a leg cast.

“Too bad so sad,” She said, tapping his cheek. “Bye, Stiles!” A stone necklace dropped in his hand as she ran off.

By the time they were leaving the elevator into Allison’s apartment, the four had already come up with a plan of what they were meant to do. Isaac and Ray were going to dig through Chris’s closet for something with a strong enough scent. Allison and Scott turned into the study to find a weapon that Scott and Ray could use against Deucalion if it came down to it. As soon as the two exes turned into the study, their heartbeats picked up. Isaac stopped Ray in the hall and motioned for her to keep quiet, realizing someone else was in there with them, three other heartbeats to be exact.

“Quite an arsenal your father's got here, young lady.” The voice wasn’t familiar to Isaac, but Ray seemed to know who it was. The man went on, acknowledging the boy who walked in behind Allison, “Scott.”

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked the man in an uncharacteristically impatient tone. Isaac noticed how Ray clenched her fist. She took a step to round the corner into the study, but Isaac held her back, hoping the other men in the study weren’t aware that they were in the hall. It wouldn’t be smart to rush in their fists up if they could be used as a surprise back up once the fight broke out.

“Following one of the only leads I have. Now, since I don't know where you've been, why don't you have a seat, and we can talk?” There was a slight shuffling in the room as the two seemingly had a seat. “Raymona, Isaac, you too.”

Finally, Isaac let Ray go so she could step into the doorway. Her eyes narrowed at the man sitting at the head of Chris’s desk like he owned the place. An FBI agent stood at each side of him with their hands on the weapons at their hip as if a group of four teens was threatening enough to need to act like that.

Isaac sidestepped tentatively behind her, asking, “How do you know my name?”

“Your name's one of the few things I know. To be honest, the rest of what's going on around here has me stumbling in the dark, even over the smallest clue.”

“If you're trying to tell me that you don't have a clue, I learned that a long time ago,” Scott said venomously. Isaac realized then that this must be Scott’s father, the one Stiles warned him about, because Scott would never dare to talk to any adult with such a harsh tone.

“I'm really hoping to avoid the embarrassment of dragging my own son into an interrogation room. Really hoping.”

Ray hiked herself up on the buffet against the back wall. It was her way of staying as far back from the man as possible. Her wariness had Isaac following her lead and sticking with her near the door for an easy escape. His eyes flickered to Scott who was stiff in one of the armchairs. In all Isaac’s time of knowing Scott McCall, he had never seen the boy look so. . Spiteful. He usually had an openness to him, even in the face of villains, hoping they would make the right decision. Now it was like he built up a cold exterior. Isaac wondered how he managed to do that so quickly, but maybe Scott always had that side of him saved someone just in case he ever saw his father again.

Isaac had learned that defense mechanism too, but it was harder for him to remember he didn’t always need to use it.

“I'm not gonna lie. I'm more than a little disturbed, not only by the number of missing parents but the fact that as soon as Ray’s mother showed back up, your father seemed to go missing,” Scott’s father said to Allison. He looked at the four teens for their reaction as he went on, “And don’t you find it strange that it's Stiles's father, your father, and your mother?”

“Mine are both dead,” Isaac quipped.

Agent Mccall’s lip curled in annoyance. “Save the cliched teenage apathy for your high school teachers. The four of you know more than you're saying, And I'm fully willing to keep you here all night if I have to.”

“You can't keep us here,” Scott told him.

“Not without some kind of warrant,” Allison said smartly.

“I've got a desk full of probable cause.” He gestured to the array of weapons that he and his goons had pulled out of the hiding spots in the study.

“My father is a highly respected private security consultant and federally licensed firearms dealer. That means he has to own a few weapons. Like this 175-pound draw tactical crossbow-“ Allison pointed to each weapon as she spoke, “-or this carbon steel marine combat knife, .50ae desert eagle. Hmm.” She picked up one to show it to the men, “Smoke grenade with pull ring igniter.”

Her finger swiftly pulled the igniter. A cloud of thick, grey smoke filled the study. Ray hopped down from the buffet and guided Isaac out of the room as Allison yelled, “Go!”

“Wait! Scott, wait!” His father called to the teens through his fit of coughs, but they were already in the elevator.

The teens were coughing too, but they were also smiling, high on adrenaline. Ray shook Allison’s shoulders and excitedly yelled, “That was badass!”

Allison giggled. “You think?” The other three nodded in agreement. “Are you all okay?”

“I didn't know what to say to him,” Scott admitted, “I couldn't come up with anything, but what you did, that was awesome.”

Out in the parking garage, Ray was excited to get on the back of Scott’s bike again until Isaac called out to them, “I still haven't gotten anything from Stiles, you?”

“He hasn’t gotten something with his dad’s scent yet?” Ray wondered, checking her phone.

“I don't get it.”

“Well, maybe he will be waiting for us at the preserve,” Allison suggested.

“Remember, it’s a root cellar. There will be a door leading underground. We'll keep Jennifer away long enough for you to get them out of there," Scott promised.

“What about Deucalion?” Allison asked.

Scott held up a small round gadget he had managed to nick from the study. “I have a plan.”

When they arrived at the abandoned distillery, Deucalion was already there. They had yet to see him alone like this without another alpha to use as a guide dog. Knowing that they only had to deal with Deucalion should have been good news, but Scott and Ray knew the others weren't around because they were trying to harm Derek.

The temperature of the night was dropping and the wind was picking up. Hopefully, the others found the parents soon. It wouldn’t be good for them to spend another night in the cold like this.

“Cutting it a little close, aren't we, Scott?” Deucalion asked as the two teens approached him.

“We got a little delayed. Where are the others?” Scott asked so that Deucalion didn’t know that Ethan had already told them about Kali and her plan.

“Occupying themselves with other pursuits.”

“So it's just us three against her?”

“I think you'll be surprised what a good team we make. We might not even need your back up.”

“Ray is here to make sure the job gets done. She can report back to the others that Jennifer is gone when I go with you.”

“I’m guessing Ray isn’t the one causing this storm,” Deucalion’s said over the sound of branches crashing to the forest floor. “We should get inside before it gets worse.”

Moonlight sparkled in jagged spots on the floor from the spiral that had been clawed out a metal sheeted wall along the eastern side of the building. Scott snapped a picture of the spiral to give Jennifer a hint of their whereabouts. Ray stood by the window at the south end of the building. Dust and spiderwebs made it impossible to make out much of anything through the glass, but the sounds of branches scraping against the metal walls were enough to know the storm really was getting worse as Deucalion predicted.

Sure there was wind and some rain, but there weren’t any sounds of thunder or lightning. Ray took pride in that. It meant she was still in control of her powers even without her necklace, at least, for now.

“It’s less than thirty minutes to the eclipse,” Scott told them.

“Stiles still hasn’t messaged me back,” Ray said, still looking out the dusty window at the storm.

“He probably doesn’t have service wherever he is,” Scott reassured her.

“Yeah, no yeah.” Ray rubbed her temple. Another headache felt like it was coming on. She had hoped her concussion was better by now. Maybe it was just a stress headache. Her mother got those sometimes if Raymona and Jayden were on a fighting streak.

“You okay?” Scott asked softly.

“I think I’m just a bit lightheaded from the concussion still,” Ray said even though she wasn’t so sure she believed it herself. This didn’t feel like how she remembered her concussion headache feeling.

“Need to sit down?”

“Maybe for just a-“ A shadowy figure was walking up to the open doors of the distillery. Scott instinctively took his stance in front of Ray to protect her. The shadow split into two, revealing Derek alongside Jennifer.

“What are you doing?” Scott asked him.

“This might be hard to believe, But I'm actually trying to help you,” Derek told him.

Deucalion seemed to get a kick out of it, “Oh, like brother against brother. How very American this is. Are you ready, Jennifer?” The alpha asked as he started to break down his walking stick and take off his jacket. He was taunting her, “Hmm? Did you gather your herbs, pray to your ancient gods and your oak trees, slit a baby's throat, perhaps?”

Jennifer snarled as if she was offended. But had Deucalion been wrong? Jennifer started her sacrifices with virgins, not exactly babies, but innocent enough. The jacket was shoved in Ray’s direction as if the blind man wanted her to hold it for him. She looked to Scott who just shrugged before hesitantly taking the material in her hands. It felt buttery and expensive but it smelled like he used cologne as detergent.

His voice started to lower as he shifted. “Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me? Or is it 12 now?”

Demon Wolf was definitely a spot-on name. Ray’s hands started to clam up. She gently put his jacket and walking stick on a worn box behind her, not wanting any excuse to have to be near him again. His eyes were sunken into his dead looking skin, and they glowed a red that was similar to the beast of a wolf Peter had been that night in the woods when he bit Scott. Even the giant monster the twins created seemed like a Disney prince in comparison to whatever Deucalion had turned into.

Derek came at Deucalion first. The older wolf had no trouble grabbing onto Derek’s arm to block the punch, so Derek went in with his left hand, only to be stopped again. The look on Deucalion’s face was calm, cocky even. Derek seemed shocked that he was trying with all his might to get free, but it didn’t even phase the other man. Jennifer had enough of this ridiculous display of power and stepped up to send a wave of energy, one much like the one she had used in the elevator with Ray against Kali.

Having seen what impact that power had on Kali only frightened Ray deeper because Deucalion didn’t even flinch at the Darach’s power. Ray sidestepped behind Scott to tug on his shirt hoping he would take the hint that they needed to get the hell out of there. Maybe if they were lucky, they could save Derek.

A firm hand gripped Jennifer and Derek’s throats. Deucalion picked them up off the ground as if they weighed nothing. A sickening growl sent shivers down Ray’s spine. Jennifer was thrown across the room and Derek was dropped to the floor. Scott took a step forward, thinking this would be his chance to grab Derek so that they could run for the hills. Sadly, Derek picked himself up off the ground and stupidly swung at the demonic alpha. He was thrown high in the air. Scott pulled Ray out of the way just in time for Derek not to hit her on his way back down to land on a pile of crates and tires.

Was that the sound of wood breaking or bones snapping?

Jennifer whimpered as Deucalion dragged her by her hair. He forced her down on her knees in front of Scott.

His voice was threatening, “Kill her. Do it.” When Scott hesitated, the alpha let out a shattering roar. Ray flinched and covered her ears while Scott winced in pain. He tried his hardest to stay on two feet, but it was like he couldn’t control his shift at all. It felt like that time at the school when Peter forced him to shift and made him want to kill his friends.

Scott didn’t want to kill his friends. He fell to his knees and let out a groan as he tried to keep his grip on reality.

“Now kill her,” Deucalion said again. “Your parents are dying. That storm you hear? She's burying them alive. It's her connection to the telluric currents. Kill her, and it ends.”

Jennifer still had enough in her to say, “It won't end. Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. Starting with Ray and Derek because they’re here. It's what he does.”

“They're dying, Scott. Your mother and the parents of your best friends. Kill her now, and it's over. Become the alpha you're meant to be. Become a killer.”

“They're not dead yet,” Scott insisted.

“And who's going to save them, your friends?” Deucalion taunted.

Scott picked himself back up and flashed his golden eyes. “My pack.”

With Scott taking the lead, Ray shifted too. With her shift came thunder and lightning jointing the wind storm outside. Where Scott had claws, Ray had flickers of lightning sparking up her fingers.

Deucalion practically flew toward Scott at an unimaginable speed. His claws dug slightly into Scott’s arm as he forcefully pulled Scott toward Jennifer. Ray raised her hands to electrocute the alpha, but Scott put his other hand behind his back and motioned for her to wait.

“Maybe you just need a little guidance,” Deucalion told him.

Scott’s free hand slowly reached into his pocket. Knowing what that meant, Ray ran owner to Derek who had just barely gotten up from the pile of debris. “I forgot to tell you something. Something that Gerard told me, ‘Deucalion isn't always blind.’”

As Scott slammed the flashbang onto the floor, Ray covered Derek’s eyes and shut her own. The plan had worked long enough to separate Scott from Deucalion’s hold. Ray and Derek blinked a few times in surprise before Ray raced over to Scott to help him stand. His plan hadn’t been foolproof, the flash blinded him momentarily too.

Then in her arms, Scott transformed back to his human self. He looked down at his hands in shock. A yellow glow illuminated through the windows.

“The eclipse. It started,” Deucalion panted.

While the three men dealt with the fact that they were powerless for fifteen minutes, Ray conjured her lightning again and turned to face Jennifer. What she hadn’t expected was seeing the Darach in its full shift. All the hairs on her arms raised as the creature screeched at her. It was just fifteen minutes of distracting the Darach. She could do this.

With determination and bravery, or stupidity depending on how you saw things, Ray charged at the Darach and threw out a cast of lightning to stun her. The creature was knocked aside which had been more than Ray expected, but the Darach was quick to recover and send a burst of energy toward Ray, sending her flying back into the pile of debris Derek had been in.

Scott slid up next to Ray to check if she was okay. Meanwhile, the Darach had shifted her focus to Deucalion who had been lost and stumbling around without any of his heightened senses to help with his lack of sight. Scott held Ray tight in his arms, both flinching each time the Darach’s fist landed another squelching blow to the alpha’s bloodied up face.

“Jennifer!” Derek yelled out before she beat the man to death. “He doesn't know.”

“Know what?” The demonic voice demanded.

“What you really look like. He knows the cost of bringing kali into his pack, But he's never seen the price you paid.”

“No. No, he hasn't.” The Darach bent down and placed a hand over the blind man’s eyes. His echoing screams had Ray in tears. Scott’s hands covered her ears, but it just muffled the sound. After what felt like an eternity, the man stopped. Ray was too petrified to turn in look, fearful that he was dead.

“Turn to me,” the Darach demanded, “Turn to me!”

After she got the reaction she was looking for, Jennifer turned back to her human form, smirking. Her eyes narrowed on Derek.

“Did you think healing him would make me weak like Cora did to you? You can’t possibly think I sacrificed three healers just to faint and lose all my strength.”

But that was exactly what Derek was hoping. Derek gave Scott an apologetic glance before Jennifer grabbed him by the back of the neck and brought him to Deucalion’s quivering body. The yellow lighting was starting to fade away.

“I want you to do it,” she whispered to him.

“No,” Derek seethed.

“What?” Jennifer said with laughter. Defying her at this point? That was ballsy.

“Like my mother used to say, I'm a predator. I don't have to be a killer.” His eyes flickered a chilling blue. Her fifteen minutes were up. As the yellow lighting disappeared, Derek reached around and grabbed Jennifer by the throat, demanding, “Let them go.”

“Derek,” Jennifer gasped and grabbed onto his hand to pry him off. Once she got free, she used her force to send him flying back. This time she followed his body to slap him. Then she picked him up and was shoving him over and over against a tank.

Out of fear for Derek’s life, Scott and Ray shared a knowing nod then both ran for the Darach. The woman saw them coming and stepped back. A vial of mountain ash was thrown into the air. It formed a perfect circle around her feet. Scott and Ray stopped just out of the circle.

“Like I told you, Derek, either you or the parents. Well, I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead, and I won't need a lunar eclipse, even to kill a demon wolf.”

Scott’s jaw went tight. He raised a hand to touch the barrier. It glowed a striking blue as he pressed against it.

“You've tried this before, Scott. I don't remember you having much success,” Jennifer taunted.

But Scott didn’t care what she said. He was pushing forward with both hands now. The blue glow got brighter. Ray took a step back and looked at Derek, wondering if this was normal. He seemed just as shocked as she was.

Then Scott took a step forward and suddenly his whole body was glowing blue from hitting the barrier. The force the ash was giving to fight him off was even pushing Ray back, but Scott to another step forward and suddenly the force stopped. The line of ash at his feet scattered and Jennifer fell back.

“How did you do that?” Jennifer asked.

“I'm an alpha now. Whatever you're doing to cause this storm, make it stop.”

Deucalion started marching toward her with his claws raised, “Allow me.”

“Wait,” Scott said, grabbing the man’s shirt. “There is another way. We don’t have to kill her.”

The woman tilted her head in confusion, not quite knowing what Scott was eluding to. Then Ray stepped from behind Scott to grab her by the shirt and shove her back against the ground. Was she being a little rough as payback for earlier? Definitely. The girl’s eyes were glowing a deadly sea green and her hands were littered with green scales. It seemed to click in the Darach’s head what was coming next. She hadn’t expected a teenage sea nymph to even have that ability yet.

“Wait-!” She pleaded, but it was too late. Electric blue and white currents traveled up Ray’s arms and suddenly the girl was shown every thought and emotion Jennifer Blake had leading up to that moment. There was anger and hatred toward Deucalion and other spiteful thoughts that Ray predicted the teacher to have, but what surprised her was the overwhelming sense of dread. Ray had been the cause of that. Just knowing that made her feel sick. She wanted to let the woman go and apologize, but something was keeping her hands locked in the woman.

The power was persuading her to stay. Her hands and arms almost felt like they had lost all sense of pain. It was warm and wonderful and addicting. She felt stronger and confident, almost like she could do anything. Ray watched as Jennifer struggled beneath her. The Darach’s eyes turned a startling white as she tried to use her last bit of power to shove the teenager off. Bolts of lightning struck the ground around the distillery. The window behind Derek shattered, causing the werewolf to jump and stare at it in awe. A gush of wind and rain swept in. He looked back at the teenage girl in fear.

“I think that’s enough,” Derek mumbled.

Scott had long since let Deucalion go. Because of the distracting display of striking bluish-white light illuminating from the small teenage girl before them, Deucalion was frozen in a state of bewilderment. As soon as the white eyes of the Darach changed back to her human ones, Scott was stepping forward to reel in his friend.

“Ray, enough!”

The girl obediently got off the woman. Sparks still trailed up her arms and her green scales were even scattered across her neck. Scott put his hand on her shoulder to steady her. The rain and wind outside abruptly stopped. Even the clouds cleared almost completely, leaving just the full moon to be seen dancing amount the stars of the night sky. The storm Jennifer had been causing seemed as though it never existed.

Jennifer looked at her shaking hands. Her skin was marbling between the sickly grey of her Darach form and the smooth skin she tried to mask her true self with. Learning how to control her form was one of the first things she taught herself how to do with her power. Now she didn’t feel strong enough to push herself up off the ground, let alone worry about what she looked like.

“What did you do?” She whispered.

“She took your power,” Scott informed the woman. “If you try anything else, I’ll finish the job myself. I don’t care what it does to the color of my eyes.”

“Won’t change the color of mine,” Deucalion grumbled as he waltzed forward. A chilling, wet slash had the other three flinching and looking away. Blood pooled around Deucalion’s feet. He didn’t seem to mind.

Derek was wary to get closer to the teenage girl he just witnessed suck power out of someone, but she seemed docile now. Her eyes were closed and she was mumbling that mantra he told her what felt like ages ago during Isaac’s first full moon.

“The moon gives us power, but it does not have power over us.”

“You remember what else I told you that night?” Derek asked. The girl frowned and looked at him. She couldn’t recall the other part of his advice. “Find what makes you human and pull yourself back.”

What made Ray human? Derek’s anchor was anger, but that definitely wouldn’t work for Ray. Scott’s was Allison, which was sweet in theory. Ray loved Stiles, but the idea of putting all her self control into one person terrified her. That was a lot for Stiles to live up to. Isaac’s anchor was memories of his father and his family before his mother and brother passed away.

Family seemed like a stable option. Holding her mother as she cried over Scott and Stiles in the tub definitely sobered Ray up enough to think clearly, but that feeling of devastation didn’t help make her powers dull out at all. She tried thinking of happy moments like her and Danny teasing Jayden together, Jayden bravely coming to see if she was okay during her first transformation on her birthday because he knew what was going wrong, Marcus teaching her how to drive, her mother telling her to get off the roof and come inside to get warm then giving her advice.

The thought of the roof led to Scott and all the nights they sat out there to stare at the stars. Then Ray was picturing them riding their bikes to school or around town with Stiles. When Stiles first got his license, they got all hyped to go visit the nearest city without a parent. The jeep broke down halfway there and the teens ended up stranded by a rice field and playing _Would You Rather_ to pass the time. Sometimes Ray would play games like that during sleepovers with Gabby, but instead of choosing between hotdogs for toes or fingers, Gabby would have her choose between Ryan Gosling and Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger, obviously. Lydia would definitely choose Ryan Gosling though, which is proof of her poor taste in men, as Allison would say.

Now that Ray’s skin was scale-free, Scott could worry about other things again, liking calling Stiles to see if he made it to the Nemeton. He did, and their parents were safe, but they were trapped and needed a bit of help getting out.

“They’re okay?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, we’re gonna need to find someone with a ladder, though.”

The girl smiled. “I’ll call my stepdad.”

Scott and Derek decided to let Deucalion walk free based on the hope he would be the man of vision he once was. Now that he witnessed Scott break through a mountain ash barrier and Ray take away someone’s power, he didn’t plan on crossing paths with them again. If he was being completely honest, he was going to get as far from this town as he could.

Derek told Scott and Ray about his plans of driving Cora to South America. It was sad to see him go, but it was music to Ray’s ears when Derek said he was taking Peter. One day she hoped Derek would come back, but Peter? Three thousand miles wasn’t far enough away. He could take a trip to the moon and stay there for all Ray cared.

After hearing that wonderful bit of information, Ray tried to bid her goodbyes to Derek with a knuckle touch. His face twisted up in an emotion that could only be described as cringe at her attempt. She tried guiding his hand into a fist to match hers.

“I know what a knuckle touch is,” he said in a tone that sounded like a warning like if she touched him again, he’d let his fist meet her face. Ray didn’t doubt that’s what he was imagining doing to her.

“Sheesh, okay. Hug it out then?”

“Go wait at Scott’s bike so I can talk to him alone.”

“But-“

“Go.”

She slowly started to walk past Derek toward the bike. “Hey! Just came up with this idea, what if I go wait at Scott’s bike and-“ Suddenly she was jolting forward and hugging Derek from behind. His quick reflexes had her pushed away before she could even finish wrapping her arms around him.

“Quit trying to hug me. I’m not going away forever, just taking Cora home.”

“But what if you don’t even make it to South America? What if you guys get stopped in Mexico by hunters? You know, there’s a pretty big family of hunters in Mexico, the Calaveras, ever heard of them? Huh?”

Derek turned to face her, now interested and wondering, “What exactly do you know about the Calaveras, hm?”

A nervous laugh fell out of her mouth as she backed away slowly. “I- uh. Scott’s bike. Gotta get the seat warm!”

Derek tried grabbing her, but she ran off too quick for him, giggling as she went. He watched her with a worried friend on his face. “I think whatever she did to Jennifer made her-“

“High as hell?” Scott finished. “I haven’t seen her that giggly since we used to smoke-“ Scott’s voice cut out at Derek’s raised eyebrow. He bit his lip and thought for a second. “Smoke up the uh backyard with the barbecue. Her stepdad Marcus makes an amazing Hawaiian barbecue. He’s from Hawaii, actually. Danny was born there too.”

“Smoking up the backyard. That’s what you’re going with.”

“Have fun on your road trip!” Scott said quickly before trying to dart off. Derek tugged him right back to face him.

“Not so fast. You’re an alpha now, and there’s something you should know,” Derek said, sounding serious. His serious look turned into a small smile, “You handled the kanima situation better than I did. You’ve been a leader since then. Also long as you stick to the qualities you have that gave you this power, you’ll do just fine with it.”

“Really? You think so?”

“I know so. Now go. I don’t want to keep you from seeing your mom any longer.”

Scott pulled Derek into a hug and Derek pretended to begrudgingly give in. Of course, this made Ray yell out and complain that Scotty got special treatment. Derek took in a deep breath that he used for the longest sigh in history then walked over to Scott’s motorbike to give Ray a quick hug. Hopefully, she was the kind of high that would make her forget about it in the morning.

Marcus and his team got to work on pulling everyone from the rubble. Medics were on the scene to check everyone over, but thankfully everyone seemed okay other than a few scrapes and bruises. The cut on Stiles’s forehead was just getting done being examined when Ray finally found him on the crowded scene. The paramedic gave them a disgusted eye roll as the two embraced. Stiles was laughing and trying to shove her off as she kissed every inch of his face, acting as if she hadn’t just seen him a couple of hours earlier.

“What has gotten into you?” Stiles looked past her and saw Scott mouthing, _She’s high_. That opened up a million other questions, but he figured she probably wasn’t the one to ask.

“Derek hugged me,” she blurted out.

“Derek Hale?”

“He smelled nice . . Hey, what’s this?” She asked as her fingers brushed his hair off of the bandaid on his forehead.

“So, I may have crashed the jeep.”

“You- what?”

“You see, there was this tree and the wind and well- I may or may not have been speeding, but that can’t be proven.”

“If there is nothing else, you can go,” the medic told him. It was his professional way of saying, _Go away, you obnoxious teenagers_.

That following Monday, all the kids were back at school with high hopes of being normal teenagers for the rest of their junior year. Despite the new lingering darkness surrounding six of them, three worse than the others, everyone seemed excited about high school. That’s how you know things have been bad when teenagers start looking forward to waking up with the sun and working on catch up homework until midnight. What Ray was most excited for was going back to cheer and having fun with Lydia and the other girls who had no idea supernatural creatures even lurked around in their small town.

“So what you’re saying is-,” Danny leaned against the locker next to his stepsister. “-he’s a good guy now?”

“I give you that long-winded story about how he ended up having his neck snapped by a dark druid in order to save Lydia and all you take from it is that you can make out with him without feeling morally wrong, huh?”

The boy in question had just come through the front doors with his twin. Aiden broke away from Ethan to slid up next to Lydia Martin. Ethan’s eyes fell on Danny. At first, he looked unsure, but then he overheard Danny talking to his sister.

“No! I totally listened to all the other heartwarming shit about how you trusted he wouldn’t hurt you because of me. Very endearing. I’m just making sure the guy I’m planning on skipping first period for isn’t going to try and kill any of our friends again. I do have standards.”

“Ones that you need to pick up off the floor. But yes, he’s a good guy. He’s got my stamp of approval.”

“Glad to hear that,” Ethan said as he walked up behind the girl, causing her to jump and clutch her necklace. He smiled at Danny. “Hi.”

Danny guided Ethan toward him for a kiss. At the sound of their lips smacking, Ray faked a gag and hit her brother in the stomach with her Econ book. “Go make out in front of someone else’s locker!”

The boys didn’t have to be told twice. Danny took Ethan’s hand and dragged him off, probably headed for Coach’s office. Ray rolled her eyes then noticed Allison and Isaac coming down the steps. Allison was looking over her shoulder at Isaac and laughing at something he said. Isaac’s eyes caught Ray watching them. He gave her a soft smile which caused Allison to notice who he was looking over at. The hunter stopped on the last step to wave. Isaac, who hadn’t realized she stopped walking, ran into her and ended up grabbing her around the waist to steady the two.

Scott and Stiles stopped at their lockers on each side of Ray. The girl twirled one of her curls around her finger and said, “They are so pretty together.”

“Um, hello, remember when we kept our relationship secret for half a year so that Scott wouldn’t be reminded that he’s painfully single?” Stiles said, nudging her.

“Oof. Sorry, Scotty. . Allison and Isaac aren’t _that_ hot.” Ray quickly turned to look in her locker and stopped staring at her friends across the hall.

“It’s okay. You’re right, they look good,” Scott said dreamily. Stiles and Ray raised an eyebrow at him. “What? Why can Ray admit her friends are attractive and I can’t?”

“He’s got a point,” Ray agreed.

“Besides, aren’t you the one who said pretty people herd together?” Scott told Stiles.

“When did you say that?” Ray asked him.

“Like lifetimes ago, and I was right! Example A: Allison and Isaac. Example B: Danny and Ethan-“

“Did you just call my brother hot?” Ray talked over him.

Stiles purposely ignored her, “Example C: Lydia and Aiden. Example D: Me and Ray.”

“Can you explain Gabby and Greenberg then?” Ray asked.

“The fact that Greenberg was able to convince Gabby to go on even one date with him is one of Earth’s biggest unsolved mysteries.”

Scott tuned out his best friends as they started to bicker about whether or not hot people really hung out together or if Stiles just thought everyone was hot. Across the hall, Lydia was interested in watching Scott’s eyes wandering around then landing on her. The two shared a polite smile before they both glanced back at Allison and Isaac. Aiden realized that he lost Lydia’s attention and leaned down to whisper something in her ear that made her bite her lip and consider skipping class.

The dazed expression on Scott’s face was broken when Gabby ran up to him to tell Ray, “There’s a party after the game Friday! Fletcher’s mom won’t let him go because of his grades, but I’m going anyway. You coming?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! Brenda texted me last night and said she was thinking about throwing one. So it’s official?”

“Yes! Oh, Scott, you have to come too! Will you tell the lacrosse team about it? I doubt they’ll go if you won’t.”

“I will get the word around,” Scott promised her.

When Gabby ran off to tell the next group of people, Ray side hugged her neighbor as she asked, “How are you doing?”

He knew she was asking about the effects of the tub. Ever since that night, he had felt that darkness Deaton warned him about. Though, it didn’t take long for Scott to find a way to combat it. Whenever he felt heavy, he looked for his friends.

“Quit that,” Stiles said, prying Ray off of Scott. “He’s my best friend. Get your own.” He replaced Ray by latching into Scott’s side.

“Don’t worry, Stiles, I like you both equally,” Scott told him which made Ray been with a prideful smile.

Stiles just grumbled. “Fine. I can settle for equality, for now, as long as I’m promised more attention.”

“Don’t you get enough attention from Ray? You guys talk on the phone all night long,” Scott teased.

“Scotty! Can you blame me? Look at this face!” Ray whined and pinched Stiles’s cheeks, but she had to be quick because he tried to bite her.

“Stiles, no biting.”

Stiles stood up straight and saluted Scott, “Yes, sir, Captain Alpha, sir!”

“And quit _calling_ me that!” Scott wrapped his arm around Stiles's neck to hold him in place and mess up his hair.

“Ah! Ray! Help!” Stiles reached out for her.

She narrowly dodged his hands. “You just tried to bite me, Stilinski. This torture is well deserved.”

Only when Stiles's hair was sticking up every which way did Scott let him go. Stiles was panting theatrically and even leaned against the locker to elude to his defeat, but for a slip second, an evil smirk spread across his face. His body sprung forward to reach for Scott’s perfectly gelled hair in retaliation. Scott’s best chance of survival was running off to first period with Stiles right on his heels.

Ray shut their lockers for them the headed off to her own first period, looking forward to Econ in an hour when she would get to sit next to those two idiots again.

**

At five o’clock sharp, a pale blue jeep rolled up to the football field’s parking lot. Ray broke away from her group of friends to run toward the vehicle as Stiles jumped out the driver's side. He proudly beat a happy rhythm into the hood and yelled, “Look! All new! Well, new to me!”

“Oh my god!” Ray clutched her necklace and sighed happily. “It looks the same. Oh, thank god. I don’t have to break up with you now.”

“Yeah! It looks- wait, rewind. Can you repeat that last bit?”

“How much did this cost you?” Her hand swiped over the hood in amazement. They had matched the color so perfectly.

“Well, you know, insurance helped so I only paid the deductible! Which happened to be my entire life savings so, all future dates are on hold-“

“Don’t be silly! I’ll pay. Where do you want to go to celebrate? Pizza? We can invite Scott.”

Stiles scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, well, I was planning on maybe just us tonight.”

“Come on, Stilinski!” Ray threw her bags in the back seat. “It isn’t a big deal. Let me pay every once in a while. Aren’t you a feminist?”

“No, no, no. You gotta listen to this, alright? It’s my dad’s first day back at work since we found him, and get this: he’s working three to eleven.” Stiles nodded as he was talking, hoping Ray was picking up anything he was putting down.

“So we can watch a movie on the couch without being interrupted?”

“Actually, crazy thought I had, we go to the movies- the real movies, and we watch Moneyball-“

“The movie about the A’s? It’s out?”

“As of yesterday! And- maybe if I’m lucky. . afterwards you can come to my place and hang out until my dad gets home.”

To buy themselves more time, Ray told her mother they would be seeing the later showing of the film and got her curfew bumped to eleven for the night. This gave them time after the film to watch another movie on the couch. And now Ray got to pick the film.

“Twilight?” Stiles whined.

“It had a baseball scene, I promise.”

“Ray, we got through a week of no supernatural catastrophes and you want to watch a movie about vampires versus werewolves.”

“It’s Thursday. Don’t get ahead of yourself. There’s always Friday lurking around the corner to fuck everything up. And trust me, it’s so bad, you’re gonna love it.”

Not even twenty minutes into the movie, Stiles was practically dead weight on top of her. His head was on her chest and his arms tucked underneath her on the couch. She played with his hair softly. Something came over her, a tightness in her chest that seemed like it wouldn’t go away unless she said something.

Ray assumed he was asleep when she whispered it.

“I love you.”

Stiles pushed himself up to hover above her. Heat rose to Ray’s cheeks. She hadn’t expected him to be awake enough to hear it. His lips tenderly kissed along her jawline. Her fingers tugged the back of his shirt, desperate for him to move his lips faster. When he kissed the spot on her neck just below her ear, she gasped and said it again.

“I love you.”

Stiles laughed against her skin. “Is that all you know how to say now?”

Ray tapped a finger on her lips like she was thinking, but really she was just being a smart ass. “I love you? Wait no, that’s still the same thing. . What about-“

“Let me guess, ‘I love you’?"

“Wow look at you, putting that big mystery-solving brain of yours to use!” Ray tangled her hands in his hair. “But I bet you won’t be able to guess what I’m about to say next.”

“Let me throw a dart in the dark here, does it start with I and end with a U?”

“No-,” Ray giggled then leaned up to whisper in his ear. “It starts with 'take off' and ends with 'your shirt'.”

Stiles snorted but eagerly sat up on his knees between her legs to do as asked. He had a cocky smirk on his face that disappeared when Ray sat up as well and took her own off. His eyes went wide and innocent. She’d only taken off her shirt a few times during their make-out sessions. This time shouldn’t have been any different, but just knowing they were doing this in the openness of his living room caused his brain to short circuit.

As Ray leaned back against the armrest of the couch she said, “Are you okay? If I need to put the shirt back on to get you to kiss me, I will do it.”

He blinked a few times and then stuttered out, “N-no! I-I’m-yeah, I’m good.”

Ray’s hands trailed down his chest then hooked on the waistband of his gym shorts. Her fingers lightly grazed along the lower part of his hips where the band usually sat.

He didn’t react to her touches because his focus was solely on the thin, light scar going up her side from those stitches Scotty gave her. It was completely healed at this point and so faint that Ray thought one day it might even disappear. Feathery touches followed the scar up then back down. Stiles was careful not to directly touch it.

“Are you gonna tell me ‘I told you so’?” Ray asked softly.

Finally, he leaned down to connect his lips with hers. The kiss was urgent like he had to prove a point. Ray wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him down against her. He pushed his hips against her center with more weight than she expected. She couldn’t stop the soft whimper from escaping her lips.

“Fuck me,” he mumbled before trailing kissed along her jaw again.

“I intend to,” she commented as her hands slipped into the waistband of his pants again.

Stiles stopped kissing her collarbone to stare at her. “Really?”

“If you want to. .”

“Yes, holy god yes, of course, but- you still want to even though the Darach is gone and we don’t have to worry about virgin sacrifices anymore?”

Ray couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Their lives were so ridiculous. She cupped Stiles’s face and said, “I would want to even if werewolves weren’t real and the only thing we had to worry about was the fact that your grade in AP Calc is way lower than mine and you should probably be studying right now instead of making out on the couch.”

“Hey, hey, hey, whoa. Your grade is like two percent higher than mine max.”

“Oh yeah? What did you get on your last quiz?”

“96,” Stiles said proudly. “What’d you get.”

“107. I aced it and did the two extra credit problems flawlessly.”

Stiles gave her a pouty frown. It was totally fake, but it still pulled at her heartstrings. Ray pushed him back to the other side of the couch, her body following his to now be on top with her legs on each side of his waist. His hands immediately went to her hips to hold her down where she was.

“I’m sorry for making you sad, Stiles.” Her fingers hooked under the bottom of her bralette. “Let me make it up to you.”

As she took it off over her head, Stiles sat up, ready to kiss her once the bra was sent flying across the living room. His hands traveled up her waist but still seemed hesitant.

“Please, Stiles,” she begged as she broke away from the kiss. Her hands were on his shoulders to support her grinding down on him.

His hands hovered over her breasts at first, then he grazed his thumbs over her nipples. Stiles placed the lightest of kisses down the center of her chest. His big brown eyes looked up at her before dragging his tongue across a nipple.

“Shit,” she mumbled, “What else does that tongue do?”

“Other than talk back?” He asked with a smirk. “Wanna go up to my room and find out?”

As the two get up from the couch, Ray could feel how wet she was between her legs. She would be embarrassed if Stiles wasn’t sporting an obvious hard-on in his gym shorts. He took her by the hand to lead her to his room. She stopped just before the stairs and pulled him to her to steal a quick kiss.

Stiles broke away from her smiling. “We haven’t even made it to the stairs yet.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Ray said sheepishly.

She led him up the stairs. This time Stiles stopped them halfway up. His quick kiss was not at all quick or innocent. Ray was pinned to the wall of the stairway. Stiles’s hand traveled down her thigh then lifted up her leg to hook it around his waist. He pressed against her in a desperate rhythm that had her scratching her nails up his back.

“We haven’t even-yes, fuck-made it up the stairs yet,” she scolded him.

“I’m sorry I just-“ Stiles cut himself off by peppering kisses all over Ray’s face.

“I’m not losing my virginity to you on a staircase, Stilinski.” She pushed the boy off of her then started jogging up the stairs. She called over her shoulder, “Although, you may be onto something with that whole wall thing. .”

When Stiles walked into his bedroom, Ray was already taking off her shorts. He froze again, only able to stare at her with wide eyes. The way he was looking at her like he didn’t believe she was real, made her heart pound in her chest.

“Stiles, if you aren’t ready. .”

“What?” He comically shook his head to pull himself out of dreamland. “No-no yeah. I’m just-I can’t believe you like me.”

“I don’t like you. I thought that was already established,” Ray’s words were much different than her actions. She pulled the boy to the edge of his bed then started leaving a trail of kisses down his neck.

“Oh, are we back to when you used to hate me? Because no one ever believed-jesus!” Her hand had wandered to the front of his gym shorts and squeezed.

Stiles gripped the lacy material around her hips like he was holding on for dear life. The material rubbed and shifted against her center. Ray panted against his neck and wanted nothing more than to be as close to him as humanly possible. Still, she broke away and got on the bed.

As Stiles was pulling his shorts off, they snagged around his ankle and tripped him. He landed on the floor with a loud thud. Ray gasped and leaned over the edge of the bed to look at him. He was wincing and holding his hip in pain.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Peachy,” he said through his teeth. He took and deep breath and sat up. “No, I’m good. I’m good.”

“Well can you hurry up and come on the bed so that you can’t get hurt anymore?”

“Oh, I’ll be coming in the bed for sure.”

“Careful now, you’ll ruin your Star Wars sheets.”

He finally climbed onto the bed next to her with a cheeky grin on his face, already feeling better from the fall. His lips parted to fight back with an even sassier comment, but the confidence died off because of Ray biting her lip and looking him up and down. Now that they were sitting in his bed, he didn’t know what to do next. It was like Stiles left his ability to think in the living room.

Ray’s heart was pounding in her chest. Part of her wished she had done research or asked Lydia for advice or something because _holy shit_?! She’s dreamed of getting this far, but those dreams were all based on that one time she googled porn and was traumatized. Gabby had promised her that real sex was nothing like porn. What was it like then? And was it bad that Ray secretly hoped it was nothing like what Gabby had described sex with Greenberg to be like? Ray felt so unprepared. Was there a play by play she could look over?

Oh! The bases. Okay. First base: kissing. That was easy. Ray could kiss Stiles all day long and not get tired of it. She leaned in, and thankfully Stiles got the idea and closed the space between them. At first, his lips moved slow and hesitant, but then his tongue grazed along her bottom lip, and just like that they were resuming the heated kiss they shared on the couch.

Then Ray was leaning back slowly, dragging Stiles along with her until her head was against the pillows. He frantically put a hand on each side of her to hold himself up. It was very polite of him to hover and not fall down on top of her, but Ray wanted the friction.

“Stiles,” she whispered.

“Hm?” He pulled away from her neck to reveal his swollen red hips.

“Could you- like. .” She hooked one of her legs around his so that she could grind up off the bed. Her efforts barely landed her any action, and her pout looked absolutely desperate which caused Stiles to choke on his next words.

“You- you want me to-“ Then he was rolling his hips against her slowly like he was unsure.

“Yes,” she panted, “Like that, baby, like that.”

“Yeah?” Their mouths were so close they were breathing each other’s air. Stiles felt lightheaded until he remembered that he could breathe in through his nose. With oxygen clearing his head, all he could think of was how great this was going to feel as soon as they got their underwear off. Don’t get him wrong, ridges of her lace felt amazing even through his boxers. He could come just from this, but that’s not how he wanted tonight to go. So he stopped his movements with the excuse of shifting down slightly to kiss along her jaw and neck.

“My turn to kiss you?” Ray pouted.

“You had your chance counting my moles,” he murmured against her skin.

“But I want you to feel good too.”

He rested his forehead against hers to say, “Trust me, I feel good. Really good, actually. Believe it or not-“ His hand trailed up her side. “-I’m an avid fan of getting to touch and kiss my girlfriend anywhere-“ His thumb brushed over her nipple and suddenly he was whispering in her ear, “-everywhere.”

His tongue swiping between Ray’s lips distracted her from his hand wandering from her waist to her center. The fabric between her legs was wet against his fingertips. After feeling that, all he could think about was exploring down there with his tongue like he had joked about earlier.

Ray couldn’t formulate a single thought while her boyfriend placed kisses down her chest. The warmth of his mouth around her nipple had her grinding desperately against his hand. It wasn’t until there was a gentle kiss on her lower stomach that the fog in her head was lifted and she suddenly realized he had been slowly moving downwards with his mouth.

Whatever uncertainty Stiles was feeling during that small kiss on her stomach was washed away by a soft whine that escaped Ray’s lips. It seemed to be all the encouragement he needed to start placing heated open-mouthed kisses along her hips and thighs. Just knowing his lips were so close down there made her squirm, but Stiles held her in place.

“What are you- what are you doing?” She asked in the quietest voice.

“Making you feel good,” Stiles said as he hooked his fingers around her underwear. “Can I?”

“I’m already-“ Ray blushed. Her arm covered her eyes in embarrassment. “I’m already, um, you don’t have to.”

She moved her arm and braved a look at him. Stiles was pouting at her from between her legs and she thought, maybe his puppy dog eyes do work on her because _holy shit_ she wanted to let him do whatever the hell he wanted to her at that moment.

Then he smirked at her. His fingers danced across the skin on her hips. She swore her heart imploded.

He rose up to give her a deep, reassuring kiss on the lips. Her hands couldn’t decide where they wanted to be, so they were exploring everywhere. When he broke away from the kiss he whispered, “You’ll tell me what feels good, right?”

“If I can manage out anything other than I love you, I’ll let you know.”

The way his laugh rumbled against the skin below her ear gave her goosebumps. His hands traveled up her sides then back down as he moved between her legs once again. His light kisses down her stomach didn’t stop at her waistline this time. He kissed the fabric of her underwear then looked up at her, unsure.

“Do whatever the hell you want to me, Stilinski. You could literally kill me right now and I’d thank you.”

Stiles snorted. “I think you might be exaggerating.”

Her hands went over the top of his and started to push them down, slowly taking off her underwear. Stiles got the idea and dragged them down her legs. When he started kissing up her inner thigh she gasped. She was blushing so bad even her hands were red.

Her voice was small like a whimper, “Are you seriously going to use your mouth?”

“You asked me what my tongue does. Let’s find out.”

His tongue did a slow line up her center, testing the waters. Ray had never felt anything like that before, and although he wasn’t focusing on any spots that were particularly sensitive, she thought she might get off just from that motion alone, just the idea of it.

Stiles took one of her hands and placed it over her center. “Show me where.”

Ray couldn’t believe what she was doing. It helped that Stiles wasn’t looking at her eyes, just her fingertips. As soon as she rubbed a circle around her clit, his tongue was replacing her hand. Then his lips closed around the spot and sucked. Ray’s hips lifted off the bed and her toes curled. And while she appreciated his eagerness-

“Too much too fast,” she said quickly.

“Okay, okay,” he whispered back. Then he was moving tantalizingly slow, almost teasing her. The slow back and forth had her wanting to beg for more but she had quite literally just asked for less. Based on her breathy whimpers, Stiles could tell she was enjoying things once again. His tongue pressed harder with its movements and he had to hold her in place again. She could feel him smile against her and she worried she’d never be able to look at his smile again without thinking of this moment.

“Stiles,” she gasped, “kiss me, please.”

“I am, technically,” he said smartly before dragging his tongue up her center, but this time his finger followed. It did a circle around her clit then dipped back down entering her briefly. He was lucky she didn’t have claws with how tightly she grabbed his shoulder.

“That, keep doing that, but like-“ She let go of his shoulder to show him how to curl his fingers.

He listened and his finger slowly entered her again, this time accompanied by his tongue dancing across her clit. A few slow pumps of him curling his finger is all it took for her to beg for a second. Carefully, he added a second finger and looked up at her to make sure she was okay.

Seeing him look up at her like that sent a wave of pleasure through her. Everything felt like it was building up so quickly. She didn’t want it to be over, but she also didn’t want him to stop.

“You’re doing so good, baby, so good,” her words made him blush and his hips instinctively grind down onto the bed. His soft moan sent vibrations to her center. She was afraid of putting her hand in his hair because she knew she would pull too hard, so her hands grabbed his blanket. His free hand found one of hers to lace their fingers together. When her eyes flashed a sea green, Stiles gasped against her. He took that as a cue to move his fingers faster, earning him more words of encouragement, “Oh, Stiles. Stiles, please.”

His voice was hoarse and lower than usual when he told her, “You can let go, baby.”

The static that had built up turned into overwhelming waves of pleasure. All she could say was his name as her walls convulsed down over and over again against his fingers. Stiles watched her in awe for a moment until she calmed down her breathing.

“Fuck,” he whispered as he took his fingers out of her. A thin trail of her wetness followed then broke off and landed on her thigh. He wanted to lean down and lick it off, but Ray sat up surprisingly quick and grabbed his hand. Her lips sunk onto his fingers and sucked to clean them off. Stiles twitched in his boxers.

“Your turn,” Ray said devilishly.

“My turn?” Stiles's voice was an octave higher as Ray pushed him down to lay against the pillows. She straddled his legs and hooked her fingers around the waist of his boxers. Suddenly his hands were grabbing her wrists and he sat up. “Um- wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s- nothing’s wrong!” He let her go as if that was proof of his words. But then his hands started doing that nervous wringing that worried her. She gently took his face in her hands to make him look at her. His honey eyes scanned every inch of her face, seeing her concern.

“Hey, you can tell me.”

“It’s just, okay so sometimes with my medication it’s hard to um- get there. And while I’d love for it to be my turn, maybe can we save that for another night because tonight I- fuck, I really want to be inside you and I don’t want to ruin my chances of that.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” He repeated, clearly shocked.

“As long as you promise me that next time-“ She used his thighs as a brace for her hands as she leaned in, “-it’ll be all about you teaching me how to make you feel good.”

He swallowed thickly. “No yeah, I can agree to that.”

She smiled and gave him a sweet kiss. “Do you have a condom? Gonna need that if you really wanna be inside me.”

“Yes! I do. I do have that.” Stiles scrambled over to the other side of the bed to reach into his nightstand. It was hard to focus on sifting through the drawer when Ray’s hands were running up and down his shoulders and his back. The condom was plucked from his hands and Ray squinted down at the wording on the back of the plastic.

“Are you reading the instructions?” He asked.

“I wanna make sure I do it right,” Ray said confidently.

“You know it goes on me, right?”

“Yes but I want to do it for you, now, stop talking and let me read this.” The words were really tiny, and the harder Ray squinted at them, the blurrier they seemed to get. At one point, she swore it was another language entirely.

Stiles laughed at her antics and stole it back from her. “You’re cute, but let me just show you.” When he ripped it open, he noticed the words were in some foreign language. No wonder Ray wasn’t able to read it. What a dork for not noticing she wasn’t reading English. Maybe the language was French and Ray thought she’d be able to understand some of it. Either way, it didn’t matter now. Her eyes were on him and taking in every instruction he was giving.

“It’s simple. Just pinch a little here to save room then roll this part down my- well- yeah. Anyway, still wanna do it? I have others if you do it wrong so don’t worry.”

“Yes.” She took the condom from him with determination. Stiles took off his boxers and threw them somewhere in the room. Her heart started to race and she felt like her hands were freezing up. “I can do this,” she muttered.

“Ray, you don’t have to psyche yourself up. I’ll do it.”

Her hand trailed up his thigh, making Stiles tense up and brace himself for when her fingers wrapped softly around the base of his dick. Even just that had him squeezing his eyes shut. Curious about what reaction she would get, she dragged her hand up then pushed back down. His knuckles went wide as they gripped the bed sheets and his throat rumbled a breathy moan.

“Fuck, freckles, you look so good like that.”

There was a soft whine before he pulled himself together enough to push her hands away. “Okay, okay, okay. Your rights are revoked. Give me the condom.”

“No, wait! I’m sorry I got carried away. You hold it and I’ll put it on, deal?”

“Deal. Just- just do it quick.” Once it was rolled down all the way, Stiles let out a sigh of relief. A small hand grabbed one of his and squeezed.

“Stiles? Are you gonna be on top because I- I’m not sure how I'd, uh.” Ray made a mental note to ask the girls about different positions.

He brushed from hair out of her face, asking, “You wanna stop?”

“The opposite of that actually.” And she tried to show that by pressing her lips to his slowly and sucking in his bottom lip before pulling away.

Stiles smiled and leaned in for another kiss. This time he had a hand on the back of her neck and back to guide her backward onto the bed. His heart was beating fast from a sudden wave of nerves. Could she tell his hands were shaking? What if he couldn’t get it in right? What was he even supposed to do once he did?

Ray giggled and pulled back. “Your lips stopped moving.”

“Sorry- sorry, I’m just-“

“Freaking out?”

“Yeah- wait no! No, I mean, what if you don’t like it?”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Like-“ He looked down between them. “-Like right now?”

“Gabby told me that my first couple times I’d have to fake it because you didn’t know what you were doing.” Stiles blushed deeply, and while his cheeks looked heavenly all pink like that, that was not what Ray had meant by it. “No, Stiles, listen let me finish. She said you’d be, you know, down there for so long that I’d get bored and fake it just to move on, but I didn’t have to fake it and actually when I did finish I was wishing I wasn’t so that it could go on for longer. . Like it was good, really good, and all I want is for you to feel good too because seeing how you reacted earlier when I touched you was like- the biggest turn on ever.”

“R-really?”

She played with his hair on his forehead. “Yes, really. I love you so much. You don’t have to be nervous with me.” It felt good getting that off her chest, but then Stiles’s sweet smile turned into a very mischievous one, causing Ray to brace herself. A swarm of sloppy kisses was spread across her forehead, cheeks, and nose. It would have been sweet if his hands weren’t ticking her sides.

“Best-“ He planted a kiss. “-girlfriend-“ Another kiss. “-ever! I love you-“ A kiss on her jaw that time. “-I love you-“

“Stiles!” Ray protested. “Sex does not involve tickling!”

He stopped and smirked. “Oh I’m sorry, did you invent sex? Hm? No? Then how do you know.”

“You are literally the bane of my existence, and if you don’t- oh fuck-“ The feeling of his tip brushing against her clit made Ray lose her thought.

Maybe if he wasn’t lost in his own state of bliss, he could have said some suave comeback. But no, he was too focused on the sweet sounds she was making as he pressed in ever so slightly. Her trembling lips grazed his neck as she mumbled into his skin, begging for him to keep going. Once he was in all the way, he rested his forehead against hers to ask, “You okay?”

“I’m- fuck,” she stuttered. “It feels really full.”

“Okay, here, what if I-“ He pulled out slightly, but her hand on his back just pulled him close again. Stiles bit his lip to keep in a moan, not wanting to enjoy it if Ray wasn’t. “Baby, what do you want me to do?”

Ray hid her face in his neck. “I like it, I promise. Please, keep going.”

His lips melted into hers for a dazed kiss. Her arms around him went limp for a second when he pushed forward a second time. Her leg hooked around him so she could meet his movements. He shivered as her fingers did light circles on his back.

“Thought you said there’s no tickling in sex?” His quip gave him the confidence to roll his hips a bit quicker, finding a slow rhythm that had them both panting.

“Bite me, Stilinski,” she grumbled, not having enough clarity to win in an argument of wits at the moment.

His thumb swiped over her collarbone. Stiles’s voice was low, almost sultry even, “Just might right there. Let everyone at school see the things you ask me to do to you in bed.”

She hadn’t been serious before but the way he was talking about it had her shuddering and clenching down around him. Where had he learned to talk like that?

And he was still doing it too, “You want that, don’t you?” His hand slid down so that his thumb could brush over her clit. Then the act dropped and he wasbreathless and whispering, “You’re seriously so beautiful.”

She was indulging in touching every inch of his chest. So many summers she spent stealing glances at him in the pool. Now he was hovering above her and building up a sweat. Without much thought, she gave in to her urges and licked up his neck, loving the salty taste. Stiles grunted and jolted forward harder than he meant to.

“Oh my god,” Ray breathed out. She was close again.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Again, please. Do that again.”

“I won’t last,” he admitted sheepishly.

“It’s okay. I want you to come. You’ve been so good, baby. Please come for me.”

That seemed to be enough to finally encourage him to fully enjoy himself. His hips were going at a feverish pace that left both of them speechless. The lewd slapping of skin and their desperate gasping made Ray feel warm all over. The burst of pleasure hit her quicker than she expected. This time the pulsing waves clenched around him, making her feel fuller than she ever had. Her vision even went fuzzy for a moment as she stuttered out his name.

“Holy fuck,” Stiles groaned.

Feeling lightheaded and worn out, Ray lazily kissed along his jawline, mumbling, “So good to me. So good.”

Suddenly Stiles gasped and twitched inside her. The arm holding him up collapsed down to his elbow, bringing the two chest to chest. Ray’s hands wrapped around him. Her fingers greedily played with the hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel his heartbeat pounding against her as he tried to steady his breathing.

“I think I’m dead,” he declared as he rolled off of her.

“Well look alive because Allison and Lydia said the number one rule to sex is pee after sex.” Ray stood up from the bed and the room started to tilt. Stiles reached out to steady her.

“You good?”

“I think the number two rule to sex should be chill out for a sec afterwards.” Her arms and legs felt like noodles.

“That’s a good rule, I like that rule. Come here.“ He beckoned her back onto the bed and had her rest on his chest. They spent the next few minutes playing with each other’s hair. Stiles chuckled and said, “You know, Twilight wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“You didn’t even get to see the baseball scene.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in the ending scene for 3A warms my heart. (Kids by Mikky Ekko) Any Teen Wolf songs you guys listen to regularly?
> 
> I'm excited for the drama of 3B, but I'm going to miss the goofy, dorky Stiles we know and love from the beginning of the series. Who are you excited to see? What are you going to miss?


	37. Terrors of the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of 3B! This chapter is 12k!

There was still a bit of sunlight out when Ray’s stepdad Marcus came home at six. In just a few days, daylight savings would hit and the days would get shorter and colder. This meant Ray and Stiles would have less time together. Her mother’s new rule was that Stiles goes home when the sun goes down. With how late cheer practice went, the two didn’t have much time together, or at least time their parents knew about and approved of. Most of their daylight hours were spent working on homework in someone’s living room. Luckily for them, the tree between Ray and her neighbor’s house made it easy to sneak out in the middle of the night after their parents fell asleep.

Ever since the ice bath, Stiles found it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Because of that newfound connection the two had from Ray being the one to hold him under, whenever Stiles was struggling with sleep, Ray seemed to be too. During the second night of this restless sleep, Stiles’s dad was spending a night shift at the station to try and wrap up some of the damage the Darach did on their town just a week prior. Stiles had invited Ray over to watch a movie since they each clearly weren't going to be resting much. Two teens with the house to themselves and no supernatural impending doom? Let’s just say the restless nights didn’t seem so bad.

That is until the next morning when they would both show up to school looking like zombies. And to make matters worse, whenever Stiles could fall asleep he was having crazy dreams that felt uncanny. On those nights he didn’t have Ray laying in bed with him to play with his hair. Stiles would have to scream until he woke himself up. Often times that meant his father would be woken up too. Was anyone in this town well-rested?

Ray stopped having dreams altogether, or at least she stopped remembering them. At school, she could hardly focus. If it wasn’t for Lydia’s note-taking, Ray’s grades would be suffering. Sometimes in class, she was so tired she swore the words on the whiteboard would slip away or mix themselves up and not make sense.

The solution to this would be to sleep at night. Ray knew this, but every time she got into bed, she had this overwhelming fear. If she fell asleep, something bad would happen.

Today was a typical Monday afternoon at the Malhealani-Nerine residence. Being two weeks out of the darach and alpha pack nonsense, everyone was getting back into their regular routines. What Ray and Stiles were meant to be doing when Marcus came home from the station was homework. Ray was doing just that, finishing up the calculus homework, carefully copying it from her paper onto her boyfriend’s while trying to imitate his handwriting so that the teacher wouldn’t notice.

There was a loud clanking as Marcus took off his boots at the front door. For a second, Ray thought the boy dead asleep on the couch next to her would wake from his nap, but thankfully he didn’t.

“Still not sleeping good?” Marcus whispered as he walked closer to the couch to examine the sleeping teenage boy.

Ray shook her head no. “I know sometimes his ADHD won’t let him get a good night's sleep, but this. . It’s gone on since that night. .”

That was all that needed to be said. Everyone in the house was up to speed on the dangerous things the kids had to do to save their parents. Marcus put a blanket over the boy then said, “Let him sleep for another hour. He can stay for dinner.”

“Really?” The smile on the girl’s face was blinding. Now she wouldn’t have to wake him up in ten minutes to go home because of the sun setting.

“I’ll text your mom so that she knows to be quiet when she gets home. Will you clean off the dining table? Maybe tonight we can all actually eat together.”

The girl didn’t have to be asked twice to abandon the pile of homework. By the time her mother came home from work, dinner was almost ready and the homework mess in the living room had been tucked away into backpacks. Jayden had even come out of his room at the smell of burgers cooking.

“What’s the special occasion?” The youngest boy asked as he looked across the array of side dishes on the dining room table they rarely used.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Danny said, rolling his eyes, “Fan favorite Stiles Stilinski is staying for dinner.”

“Danny, don’t be jealous now. Any time you want to bring that boy you like over, you can,” Marcus told his son.

“Why don’t you invite him over now?” Jayden taunted. “Let’s meet that big bad alpha.”

“See? This is why I can’t have him over. You guys are embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing!” Marcus turned around from the stove, waving a spatula around. “How?”

“Dad, your apron.”

The apron in question was a picture of a hairy stomach. Marcus frowned down at himself. “It’s funny. Right, babe?”

Sonia’s face scrunched up in pain, she hated lying to him, “Very funny, sweetheart.”

“Oh look, it’s sleeping beauty,” Jayden said as Ray dragged Stiles into the kitchen.

The boy’s face turned red as the entire family turned to look at him. “Hi. Sorry. Thank you for having me.”

“Our pleasure!” Marcus said.

“Why don’t you two go have a seat. Stiles, you want anything to drink?” Sonia offered.

“Uhm-water. Water would be great. Thank you.”

Ray dragged him to the room adjacent to have a seat. He smiled about something Ray whispered to him. Sonia frowned from how tired the boy looked. Once the other two boys left the kitchen, she whispered to her husband, “Should I call his dad? Let him know how bad it’s getting?”

“I already called him earlier. He said he’d come pick him up after dinner if Stiles is too tired to drive.” A dark cloud seemed to hang over the kitchen as both adults thought the same thing.

“Just reminds me of-“

“Claudia?” Marcus finished. “Maybe this all really is just because of the ice bath and he’ll be better by Christmas.”

“I hope so,” Sonia said as she watched her daughter smile at the boy.

After dinner, Stiles lingered around to help with the dishes. Really he just talked to Jayden about some new video coming out in November that they both wanted to try while Danny tried to sabotage Ray’s efforts on doing the dishes by spraying her with the sink hose every time she let her guard down.

When Stiles went home, he had expected to be up the whole night because of his nap. Surprisingly, he found it easy to fall asleep before midnight for the first time since. . Well, honestly he couldn’t remember his last good night of sleep. What little sleep he had gotten lately was filled with oddly realistic dreams that had him feeling more tired when he woke up from them.

Tonight’s dream was like that. He had woken up in a locker at school. Every time his fist hit the metal door, the crashing sound vibrated the locker around him. Once he finally managed it open, he stumbled out into the moonlit locker room and looked down at his aching fist. A dream wouldn’t cause him pain like that, right?

Out in the hall, he started searching for someone or anything that could help him wake up or make sense of all this. Even the tile floor felt cold against his feet, but Stiles knew this couldn’t be real.

Whispers from an open classroom door had Stiles freeze in place. He held his breath, hoping whoever was in the chemistry room didn’t hear him. There was a deep fear weighing on his chest telling him to avoid everyone he came across in his dreams.

_“He’s not lying. Scott, it was his handwriting.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

But Stiles knew those voices. Those were his best friends. Maybe they could help him out of this mess. Stiles ran into the chemistry room, expecting to see Raymona Nerine and Scott McCall standing together and having a chat. Instead, the desks were all thrown to the sides of the room. The moonlight cascading from the window was creating eerily long shadows across the floor because of how crooked the blinds had been pulled up. Everything looked like it had been thrown around in a haste to make room for the giant stump that looked wider than Stiles was tall jutting out from the floor in the center of the room.

When he, Scott, and Allison went under, they came across the Nemeton. At the time, they touched it and were shown a memory they had of its location. Was it trying to show Stiles another memory? He reached out like he had that night in the tub. Before he could touch the stump, a vine whipped out and wrapped around his wrist, dragging him down. Stiles gasped and fought against its hold, now too terrified to touch the stump at all.

Stiles gasped and sat up in his bed, covers falling to his waist. Every breath felt like pins and needles stabbing at his chest as if he was coming down from a panic attack. Something warm next to him stirred and startled him. A soft hand rubbed between his shoulder blades.

“You okay?” It was just Ray, oh, thank god. As she sat up, he turned to rest his cheek on the top of her head, letting her arms wrap around him. “Another bad dream?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I was just dreaming. . It was weird. It was like a dream within a dream.”

“That sounds. . odd. .” Ray swallowed thickly and looked down at Stiles’s hands tenderly caressing her thighs and arms as if he was the one comforting her from a bad dream.

The strangest part about all of this was- Ray swore she fell asleep in her bed last night. Had she and Stiles been sneaking to each other’s places most nights to combat the loneliness that came with their sudden insomnia? Yeah, of course, that’s what teenagers do. But tonight,. . tonight she swore she had planned on staying home.

Then Stiles confirmed her theory and asked, “Wait a sec, Ray. . What are you doing here?”

Before Ray could explain that she didn’t know how she got there, Stiles’s attention shifted to his bedroom door creaking. Just looking at the open door gave Ray an overwhelming sense of dread. Stiles tried to get up to close it, but Ray held him firmly in place.

“Stiles, where are you going?”

“I should close the door.”

“But your dad’s rule, remember?”

“We don’t follow that rule when he doesn’t know you’re here. What if he see’s you here and tells your mom?”

“I’m- I-“ Ray didn’t know how to explain why she was so terrified of Stiles going over there. It was irrational, right? What was she, afraid of the dark now? “Just leave it, please.”

“What if somebody comes in?” Stiles got up from the bed.

“Who? Your dad? Who cares, we aren’t doing anything. Just sleeping. Wait, wait, Stiles-“ She grabbed his arm. “Be careful.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Why. .? Why would you say that?”

“Please come back to bed.”

Stiles backed away from her then turned to the door again. “What if they get in?”

“What if who gets in?” Ray whispered. The closer he got to the door, the faster her heart raced. “Stiles, please come back. Stiles-“ His hand touched the doorknob and swung the door further open. Ray was begging, “Don’t Stiles. Please don’t go in there! Stiles! Please don’t!”

Ray kicked the covers off in a frenzy and jumped off the bed. The bedroom door slammed shut. No matter how hard Ray pulled, she couldn’t get it open.

“Stiles! Please come back! Stiles, please!”

Ray gasped as her eyes fluttered open. A textbook that had been open on her lap slid off the bed with a thud. The leaf print comforter around her looked familiar, but it wasn’t hers. Ray sat up quickly and looked down at herself. She was in a skirt she wore to school occasionally and a sweater that draped off one of her shoulders. The pajamas from earlier disappeared as if. . As if she dreamed it all. She sat up to lean against the headboard.

“Geez,” Allison said from beside her. “I finished our physics packet.”

“How- how long was I out?” Ray looked to the window to see the sun had gone down.

“A while I guess. Sounded like you were having a good dream, so I didn’t wake you. ‘ _Stiles, Stiles! Please, Stiles!'_ ” Allison mimicked with a moan.

“It wasn’t like that,” Ray insisted with her reddened cheeks. Suddenly she couldn’t remember the dream at all, which only made Ray more embarrassed. What if it had been like that? Did she seriously just have a sex dream on Allison’s bed?

“Why not? Stiles doesn’t do it for you?”

“He-“

But then Allison was shoving their homework aside with this playful glint in her eyes. Ray’s breath hitched as Allison straddled her lap. Both were in skirts, so there was a lack of material between that that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Ray flushed and wondered if this is what Stiles felt like when she wore her cheer skirt for him. Allison’s thighs felt soft and warm under Ray’s hands. One of her hands moved up the side of Allison’s leg. She swore she could feel her blood pumping through her fingertips as she reached out, millimeters from touching the other girl’s underwear.

What kind of underwear did Allison Argent wear under her skirts? Lacy? Cheeky? A thong?

“What are you doing?”

Ray froze, worried she had read the situation wrong. “I- um.”

Allison giggled at Ray’s shy behavior. She leaned down, her nose almost touching Ray’s. Allison’s pretty curls cascaded around their faces, blocking them from the rest of the world as she whispered, “We have to wait for Isaac.”

Hearing his name was like a bucket of ice water crashing over Ray. “I’m dreaming.”

“That’s sweet,” Allison whispered.

“No, really. I’m dreaming. I know I am. I have to wake up.” Ray shoved the girl back and got off the bed. Her foot should have hit the hardwood floor, but instead, it landed on what felt like rough wool. Then her other foot hit the floor on a wet spot. Ray looked down to see blood staining the worn grey carpet. Her hand flew over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. The lifeless body of her former boss was laying on the ground on the aisle to her left.

Ray walked backward out of the aisle. The genre signs around her were all jumbled, some not even using letters at all, but rather shapes and symbols. It had been so long since the store had been shut down. Ray didn’t know her way to the front door without help from the signs.

“Help me,” a soft plea came from behind her. Jackson Whittemore was lying in a pool of red. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Ray had come from the back of the store to get Jackson out, right? She remembered that she didn't want Jackson to get hurt because he was Danny's friend. How could he be hurt? Had the alpha gotten to him before Ray found him?

As Ray walked toward him, the lights started flickering. Jackson went pale. His hand grabbed at a shelf to pull himself up to get away from her.

His voice sounded desperate, “Help me- help me, please! Someone!”

She opened her mouth to reassure him that she would help, but no words came out. Her knees hit the blood-soaked carpet next to him. His damp shirt felt cold against her fingertips. Green scales shimmered across her arm, contrasting against the deep red on his shirt.

“Please, don’t,” Jackson begged, “Don’t kill me.”

A low growl emitted from behind one of the rows of movies. The flickering lights went out. Now just the small amount of streetlight that was able to reach about halfway through the store was their only source of sight and direction. Ray dragged Jackson down an aisle to hide from the beast, but for some reason, Jackson was crying and protesting the entire time.

“Quiet,” Ray snapped at him. “He’ll hear us.”

“Don’t kill me, please.”

Before she could promise Jackson she wouldn’t hurt him, a loud crash came from the other side of the store, followed by a second louder one, then a third. Knowing what was coming, Ray covered Jackson’s body to protect him. The aisles were crashing down like dominos, closer and closer.

Jackson was crying, “Why aren’t you saving me?”

As the one next to them started to tilt, Ray let out a scream of terror. The heavy weight came down on her, stopping her from being able to swing her arms out.

“Raymona!” Her mother’s voice yelled out.

At first, the girl was scared to open her eyes. She realized she couldn’t move because their was a pair of arms holding her down, not ten rows of DVD shelves on top of her. No matter how much air she took in, her lungs felt like they were going to give out.

Surely enough, right in front of her holding her face was her mother. Her stepdad was holding her down so that she would stop kicking and throwing punches at her mom who just wanted to comfort her.

Ray let out a sob, “Mom?”

“Era solo un sueño,” her mother promised.

Marcus finally let her go so that Ray could hug her mother. She cried onto her shoulder, “Es solo que. . lo sentí tan real.”

“Bueno, ahora estás despierta.”

“How do you know?” Ray cried harder and held onto her mother. “How do you know?”

Raymona Nerine stumbled sluggishly past her friend’s car without even noticing her. Gabby quickly got out of her towncar, throwing the giant purse she used as a backpack over her shoulder as she jogged to catch up with Ray. It wasn’t hard to catch up and even get a few steps ahead of the other girl since Ray had been practically dragging her feet.

“Why do you look like you got into your stepdad’s liquor cabinet and drank until four A.M.?” Gabby asked as she squared Ray’s shoulders and took in her entire state. Ray’s hair was messily braided, and the darkness under her eyes made her look like a walking corpse.

“Good morning to you too, Gabs,” Ray droned as she casually rolled her eyes. Despite her tone, she wasn’t as defiant in her movements, letting Gabby even pinch her cheeks without rebuttal. Normally, Ray would at least protest being handled like this, or even pinch Gabby right back.

“I can’t believe this advice is coming out of my mouth, but maybe lay off the late night sessions with Stilinski.” Ray scoffed at Gabby’s bluntness. Gabby went on, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy your movie-esque soulmate is apparently a god among men when it comes to bedroom moves, and living room moves, and probably backseat of the jeep moves-“ Gabby dazed off for a moment.

“You aren’t thinking about it, are you?” Ray asked, bewildered.

“What? No, of course not. I’m sorry, listen I got off topic. Fletcher and I haven’t had sex in like two weeks.”

“Is that. . Is that not normal?”

“Apparently not for you! Ray, you look like you haven’t slept at all in two weeks!”

“Because I essentially haven’t- and not because of Stiles! I’ve just been struggling to be tired once I’m in bed.”

“You know what? My tia gets like this when she’s stressed. She drinks a sleepy time tea! I’ll ask her which one she recommends.”

Ray smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Gabby. That’s actually really sweet of you.”

“Really? Okay well remember this feeling because now I’ve gotta give you that tough love.” Gabby opened her purse and pulled out a tube of concealer. “You look like shit. As your friend, I can’t let you walk the halls like this. Get in my car.”

A few minutes later, both girls were giggling as Gabby was purposefully tickling Ray’s nose with a fluffy makeup brush. “Okay, okay!” Ray tried to seat the girl away. “There’s only ten minutes to class! I’m going!” The passenger car door opened and shut in the blink of an eye to get away from the torture.

Gabby quickly hand cranked down the window on the driver’s side to yell to her friend, “Remember! No late night sex with Stilinski!”

A few students snickered at Ray’s expense as she ducked her head in shame, mouthing, _I hate you!_ , back to her friend. On Ray’s awkward rush through the school doors, she accidentally bumped into someone, knocking their books from their grasp.

“Sorry!” They both blurted out. Their hands brushed over each other’s as they reached for the boy’s math book. Again, both of them mumbled, “Sorry.”

Isaac Lahey stood up straight, towering over Ray, then took a step back for good measure. Where there was usually a playful smirk, now had a tight-lipped smile that came off more as a grimace. Ray had no idea why he was the one acting more awkward than usual. She was the one who was screaming internally to drown out the sounds of one of her dreams from the night before playing over and over in her head.

_“We have to wait for Isaac.”_

“So!” Ray blurted quickly in hopes that chatting would ease her comfort. “How’s Allison?”

Why did she ask that? Why did she bring up Allison? Why make her situation worse? Oh god, oh god. Ray closed her eyes and silently prayed he didn’t ask why her cheeks were going red.

“Why? Did she say something?” Isaac asked, sounding almost hopeful for a second.

“Why would she say anything?” Ray said quickly. Her eyes went wide and she bit her tongue to keep her from word vomiting anything else all over the poor boy.

Isaac scratched the back of his ear and stuttered, “I just- uh- no reason.” Suddenly his jaw went slack. He slowly brought his hand in front of his face. His claws were out in the middle of the hallway.

“What are you-“ Ray quickly grabbed his hand and held it between hers.

To everyone else in the hall, they may have just looked like a couple holding hands. That thought made Ray want to shove the boy across the room, but she refrained from that and pushed him out the doors instead.

“What are you doing!” She whispered yelled and dragged him farther and farther from the school.

“I- I don’t- I can’t control it!”

“Yes, you can.” Isaac shook his head no, disagreeing with her. She stood in front of him and said again, “You can. Think of your dad like you always do. Think of how he used to be when you were a kid.”

“I can’t- I-“ His teeth were now sharp and long. Ray’s instincts were screaming at her to back away, to turn and run, but she knew Isaac wasn't a threat. From reading his emotions, she could tell he was panicking, but not angry. Dealing with anxiety was something Ray had more experience in than someone her age probably shluld.

She breathed out and carefully asked, “Who taught you how to ride a bike?”

Isaac tilted his head. His eyes flickered from their golden state to his natural blue for just a second. “My- my dad.”

“Really? How old were you?”

The tension between them seemed to dissipate as Isaac took a breath and tried to remember. “Seven? I think?”

“Did you learn on your street or at the park?”

“The park. He took me to the park.” Isaac’s claws were the last to retract. Just in time too because the bell rang, meaning they only had five minutes to get to class.

Stiles Stilinski was running late and nothing was going to stop him from making it to class on time. That is until he saw his girlfriend blatantly rubbing her hand up the arm of a six-foot-tall blonde who happened to look like he was the chiseled perfection of a Greek statue. Yeah. That was just wanted he wanted to see after the shitty night he had. His tongue poked the inside of his cheek and his keys twirled around his fingers. Interrupt them or go to class?

Then, out of the blue, his best friend rammed into him. Scott McCall was breathing heavy and not making eye contact. Stiles squared his shoulders.

“Hey, hey! You alright?”

Scott looked at him in shock. His chest was still heaving from all the running. It was almost like his asthma was back. He nodded yes, but Stiles didn’t like that answer.

“You don’t look alright, Scott.”

“I’m okay,” Scott mumbled.

“No, you’re not. It’s happening to you too. You’re seeing things, aren’t you?” Stiles assumed just as Ray and Isaac walked up.

Isaac had his head down like he was a kid who had been caught stealing from the kitchen. Stiles squinted at the taller boy for just a second before looking at Ray. Her skin looked bright and full of life thanks to Gabby's makeup, but her lips were turned down slightly like she didn’t have the energy for her usual smile. When her hand reached out to hold the sleeve of Stiles’s sweater, Stiles tensed up. Immediately, Ray retracted her hand and wondered what she did wrong.

“And losing control?” Ray added.

“How’d you guys know that?” Scott asked.

“Because it's happening to all of us,” Lydia said, coming up from behind them with Allison.

“You guys having sleep paralysis nightmares too?” Ray asked the girls, causing Stiles to do a double-take.

Was Ray having nightmares too? She knew about his, but she never told him she was having them too. How often was she getting them? How come she didn’t look tired?

“More like hallucinations,” Allison painfully admitted.

Even though Stiles was defiantly holding his grudge from seeing Ray with Isaac and still refusing to get near her, he couldn’t help the concern in his voice when he asked, “What did you dream about last night?”

“Um.” Ray suddenly became painfully aware that she was standing between Allison and Isaac. Her mind was screaming at her to deflect. “I actually had a few different dreams last night.”

Stiles flared his nose in annoyance that Ray had dodged his question.

Scott looked between the two and quickly said, “Class is starting soon.”

Lydia pushed through both doors to walk in through the middle, saying, “Well, well, look who's no longer the crazy one.”

“We're not crazy,” Allison told her.

“Hallucinating? Sleep paralysis? Bringing your claws out before first period? Yeah, you guys are fine.”

“We did die and come back to life. That's gotta have some side effects, right?” Scott said.

Ray asked him, “So what’s the plan for now?”

“The plan?” Scott repeated, looking worried.

“We keep an eye on each other,” Stiles told them. He put a reassuring hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Okay? And Lydia, stop enjoying this so much.”

Lydia spun around on her heel, trying not to smile, “What?”

Stiles was the first to break away from the group to go to class. Even though Ray’s class was the other direction, she found herself jogging after him, needing answers for his odd behavior earlier. Noticing the girl on his heel, he ran his hand through his hair then turned to face her. The serious look on his face had Ray holding her breath.

“Ray, go to class.”

Then a surprisingly loud, “Fuck class,” slipped out of Ray’s mouth.

Too stunned to keep up his facade, Stiles stuttered back, “W-what. .?” Then checked her forehead for a fever.

“You have Spanish first period, right? Let me teach you instead.”

“Oh, is that what you were doing with Isaac this morning?” Stiles bit the inside of his cheek as if he regretted saying it, but he didn’t apologize.

“There it is,” Ray said, “I knew you were mad about something. And why? Because I talked him down from wolfing out in front of the whole school?”

“Did talking him down have to require touching?” Stiles still refused to look directly at her.

“Jealousy looks really good in you, but Stiles, next time instead of pushing me away. .“ Ray leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Pull me closer and show him I’m yours.”

Stiles raised his eyebrows and blinked a couple times. Ideas of what he could be doing instead of going to Spanish filled his head. They still hadn’t checked making out in Coach’s office off their bucket lists yet. .

“Nope!” A feminine voice called out before separating the lovebirds. Gabby dragged her best friend down the hall, yelling over her shoulder, “Keep it in your pants, Stilinski! Ray is too tired for your impressively high sex drive!”

“Gabby!” Ray laughed and tried to put her hand over her friend’s mouth. “Don’t listen to her, Stiles! She’s talking nonsense!”

“I did not let you use my good concealer so that you could skirt around my ‘no late night sex with Stiles’ rule by having a morning session with Stiles in Coach’s office!”

Lucky for them, the few students who still lingered in the halls right before the late bell rang were mostly too preoccupied with not being late to listen to the girls argue as Gabby dragged Ray to their English class. The girls were a minute late to class, but with their school's history, Mr. Hawthorn was just glad they hadn’t shown up dead. After first period, Isaac followed Ray to her locker with that same sheepish look on his face he had before school.

“Did you need something, Lahey?”

“Yeah, actually, uh. Quick question, can I borrow your physics notes from last week? I need the ones from the first day we learned about Kelper’s Law.”

“Little late to be catching up on last week's notes,” Ray teased and she pulled out her notebook. It opened to a random page that looked like every line was filled, but the harder Ray focused on it, the fuzzier the words got. Soon that page was just a blur. She flipped to the next to try and read the header.

Isaac was going on, “Allison asked if I wanted to compare what we have on this unit so far to study for tomorrow’s quiz, and then I realized I didn’t have a single thing written down for that day. . . So, I’m going to copy your work and hopefully impress her with how well I pay attention. Well, I guess it’s how well you pay attention, but she doesn’t have to know that.”

Ray wasn’t listening to a word he was saying. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears as she flipped page after page. Whenever her notes were legible, the letters were jumbled or they were replaced by those rune symbols from Ray's nightmare about the video store. “Uh, which day did you say you needed?”

“Last Monday was when we started this unit, I think it was titled something basic like 'Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion'. It was the first day when we just went over the three laws and then watched that video.”

“Right! Um.” Ray started at the end of her notebook and tried counting back the days. She held up the blurry page to Isaac. “This one?”

Isaac hesitantly grabbed the notebook and flipped through the pages for himself to find the right one and snap a picture of it. As he was handing it back to her, he caught the odd look on her face.

“You good?”

“Yeah! No yeah! Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” Ray quickly shut her locker. The slamming sound made her jump slightly. It sounded eerily close to the sound of the shelves crashing down one by one.

“Because we are all experiencing weird shit from being the people to bring back our friends from the dead?” Isaac offered casually.

In an effort to get the imagery of her nightmare out of her head, Ray tried thinking of something else, anything else. That anything else happened to be the other topic haunting her. She blurted out, “I had a sex dream about Allison.”

“Oh, um-“ The poor boy was bright red. “How?”

“How? What do you mean how? In my sleep?!”

The two looked at each other for a moment as if the other one was crazy before they each burst into laughter. It felt great admitting that dream to someone. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

That light feeling gave Ray the confidence to add, “You know what the craziest part was? I didn’t realize it was a dream until she said we had to wait for you.”

“M-me?” Isaac cleared his throat. “Wait for me?”

“Crazy right? As if the three of us would ever- well anyway. That’s how I knew none of it could be real.”

As Ray leaned against her locker, Isaac mirrored her. He laughed to himself before offering, “You know, this hypothetical could probably be arranged.”

Ray scoffed. “In your dreams, Lahey.”

He tilted his head and shrugged shamelessly. “Apparently it’s in yours too.”

“First of all this-” Ray hated Isaac’s cocky smirk as she pointed between the two of them. “-never gonna happen. Second of all, if you tell a single soul about my dream, I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

“Too bad I already wish I was never born,” Isaac said with a wink. He was smart to quit while he was ahead and run off to his next class, leaving Ray stumped and seething in the hall.

Third period was the perfect amount of distracting because they had a new teacher instead of their usual substitute. Lately, Stiles and Ray were trying this fancy new seating arrangement where instead of Stiles sitting behind Ray, she sat behind him so that he couldn’t pull her hair during class. It had been working for Stiles, he was far less distracted with her out of sight. Ray’s grades were suffering because she spent most class periods staring at his shoulders.

The arrangement was a work in progress.

“Morning, everyone. My name is Mr. Yukimura. I'll be taking over for your previous history teacher. My family and I moved here three weeks ago. I'm sure, by now, you all know my daughter, Kira. Or you might not since she's never actually mentioned anyone from school. Or brought a friend home for that matter.” There was a deep sigh followed by the sound of someone’s head hitting their desk at the back of the room. Everyone turned to get a look at the poor girl Mr. Yukimura was embarrassing.

Their teacher went on, not at all helping his daughter's cause by literally pointing at her, “Either way, there she is.”

Scott’s eyes had stayed on Kira for longer than anyone else in the room. Noticing this had Stiles smirking and turning in his seat to whisper to Ray, “Our little Scotty boy’s got a type.”

“New girls with pretty, long dark hair,” Ray added dreamily.

Scott’s eyes went wide, “Not true.”

“Very true,” Stiles said with an evil smirk.

“Oh let’s go on a double date! Bowling?” Ray joked.

But by then they had already lost Scott’s attention. His shadow was molding into a form reminiscent of Peter’s alpha form. The shadow didn’t go back to normal until Stiles reached out and nudged him to ask if he was okay. 

After class in the halls, Ray tiredly leaned her head against her locker. Between not sleeping, worrying about her friends, whatever happened with her notes Isaac needed earlier, and hating herself for accidentally letting it slip to Isaac that she had a steamy dream about Allison. . Ray just wanted a moment to breathe. She might even agree to a nap, but only if she was promised no nightmares or no sexy dreams. Actually, just no dreams at all would be nice. Just a quiet, dark void where she could rest.

“Can’t we just be normal teens who worry about normal problems? Like: what am I gonna be for Halloween this year, or should I apply to the college of my dreams early, or how the hell are Lydia and I going to round up eight other girls to cheer for lacrosse in January, or who’s gonna take me to winter formal because last year totally sucked. . No offense to you, Scotty. Riding our bikes to a school dance in the middle of February in heels was- complete trash.”

“Agreed,” Scott said with a shrug.

“Well, I can solve one of those problems,” Stiles said smoothly.

Ray didn’t look impressed. “If you’re going to suggest we go as Batman and Robin for Halloween, I’m going to give you the silent treatment until November.”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to-“

“Not going as Han and Leia either,” Ray said firmly.

In hopes of making her feel better, Scott gave Ray one of his signature golden boy smiles and said, “Maybe we just need a little more time to get back to normal.”

Now for some reason with a slight attitude, Stiles responded, “Yeah, try not to forget we hit the reset button on a supernatural beacon for supernatural creatures. There's a pretty good chance things are never going back to normal.”

The lock in Stiles’s hands clanked a few times against the door as he tugged on it. His eyes scanned the lockers on either side of him to make sure he wasn’t accidentally at Ray’s.

“Yeah,” Scott agreed, sounding oddly pessimistic.

Ray sighed heavily, deciding she had to be the positive one for today, “Or this is all going to get better now that the six of us are aware that it’s affecting everyone. I’ll do some research tonight and see what I come up with.”

But Scott and Stiles didn’t seem to be listening to her optimism. Instead, Stiles was putting his locker combo in for the third time and Scott was staring down the hall at the new girl again. Ray lightly put her hand over Stiles’s to guide his hands to the right numbers.

“Feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” Stiles breathed out, “No yeah, I just-“ Then he remembered this adorably confused look on Ray’s face from a couple of weeks back. Maybe she was experiencing the same thing. “Actually, have you been-“

“Scott,” she whispered, trying to catch the werewolf’s attention.

Stiles turned to his left, “Oh, dude, your eyes.”

“What about them?” Scott asked.

“They're starting to glow.”

“You mean like right now?”

“Yes, right now. Scott, stop. Stop it.”

The lockers shook as Scott leaned his weight against them. His breathing was starting to waver. Ray put a hand on Stiles’s chest to push him back.

“You’re freaking him out more,” she chastised before making her voice go sweet and smooth, “Hey, Scotty. What do you need me to do? Wanna count like we do with Stiles?”

“It’s not that I just can't- I can't control it.” He covered his eyes with his hand like he was trying to block out the sun. The motion did little to conceal the stark red glow.

“Alright,” Stiles grumbled, pushing past Ray to grab Scott. “Just keep your head down. Look down, come on.” Then the two were doing this awkward dance around other students in the hall as Stiles attempted to guide Scott while also holding the werewolf’s head down. Their shoes squeaked awkwardly loud as they scuffled around people. The saddest part was, other students didn’t seem to bat an eyelash at their antics. Stiles and Scott were known for being rowdy and weird in the halls.

Ray bravely dug through the fire hazard Stiles called a locker for the textbook he needed for his next class. Unnoticed by Ray, Kira Yukimura curiously watched her stuff the book into Stiles’s backpack then lug his bag and Scott’s heavy-looking one over her shoulders before she went in the direction the boys had run off in. Not a single student Ray passed by even questioned why one girl was carrying three backpacks, let alone did they offer to help. Kira wondered how often Ray must have had to pick up after her friends. She hadn’t even mumbled a single complaint as she did so.

Down the hall, Ray dipped into the classroom the boys had used as a refuge. At the sight of blood dripping from Scott’s fingertips, she gasped and dropped all their bags. Her instinct was to run toward the boy and help him, but Stiles held her back.

The sound of Scott grunting in pain had Ray flinching and leaning into Stiles for comfort. Once Scott turned back to his human form, Stiles let Ray go so he could kneel down in front of the werewolf.

“What the hell was that?” Ray asked from behind Stiles.

“Pain makes you human,” Scott explained, sounding completely shot.

Stiles shook his head in disbelief. “Scott, this isn't just in our heads. This is real. And it's starting to get bad for me too.” He felt a hand hold his shoulder and looked up at Ray. Her thumb brushed against him, encouraging him to go on. “I'm not just having nightmares. I'm having dreams where I have to literally scream myself awake. And sometimes I'm not even sure if I'm actually ever waking up.”

Scott’s lips parted in shock. “What do you mean?”

“Do you know how you can tell if you're dreaming? You can't read in dreams. More and more, the past few days, I've been having trouble reading. It's like I can't see the words. I can't put the letters in order.”

“Like even now?”

Stiles stood up and looked at the board behind Scott. His eyes went teary. “Yeah, even now.”

Ray helped Scott up off the floor and had him sit on a desk. She bit her lip, debating whether or not she wanted to admit what happened to her earlier with Isaac and her notebook. Her fuzzy vision seemed ridiculous when compared to Scott's bloody hands. She didn't want to add to his stress.

“Whatever is happening to me, Isaac, and Lyds isn’t as bad as it is for you guys. Isaac didn’t have to claw himself this morning. All I did was remind him of his anchor and that worked. It was just as if he lost himself a bit on a full moon, nothing like this,” she said, holding Scott’s hands open.

Stiles was counting his fingers when Ray tugged him over for a group hug. Her roughness startled him at first, but then he melted into their embrace.

After the events with the Nemeton, Allison and Lydia finally decided to drop French class with Mrs. Morell and join fifth period art with Ray and Isaac. Lydia wasn’t bad at sketching because was there anything Lydia Martin couldn’t do? Allison, however, had a talent for making everything in her artwork a bit. . lopsided. And although Allison was going for realism, her art came out a bit uncanny. If she leaned into it a bit more, she might even be able to pass it off as surrealism.

Bashful would probably be the best way to describe how Allison felt every time Ray leaned over her shoulder to see what she was working on in class. The archer wished she could have the laid back, _I’m only taking this class to pass the time_ , type of attitude Isaac Lahey had, but it was in Allison’s nature to want to be great at everything she did.

That afternoon, their teacher had set their easels up in a circle with a table of fruit in the middle. Their instructions had been one word: perspective. Isaac and Ray were across the room from Allison and Lydia. Isaac was going for a close-up image of the fruit, hoping that he could pass the assignment by just drawing a few large red and orange circles across his canvas. Ray was going above and beyond with her assignment. Working with paints couldn’t have happened on a better day. They had been Claudia’s favorite medium, the one she taught Ray how to use, and today was her birthday. Ray’s canvas was a wider view of the room to include not only the fruit and it’s stand, but a sliver of Isaac’s canvas on the right side of the piece as well as her two friends in the background concentrating on their own easels.

“Show off,” Isaac muttered.

“I just see things differently than you,” Ray replied casually.

“Or you’re worried about her too,” Isaac commented as Ray finished the coloring of Allison’s shirt. A loud tear broke everyone’s concentration. Lydia crumbled up Allison’s artwork.

“That’s her third restart.”

“So you have been watching her.”

“Shut it, Lahey. Don’t you have orange circles to fill?”

“Oh!” Their teacher, Miss Costa glided up behind Ray and Isaac and put her glasses on. “Oh, you two are doing matching pieces! Isaac is doing the artwork within the artwork! Beautiful! Brilliant!”

Isaac gave the woman his charming smile. “Yeah! I saw that artwork within Ray’s and thought I’d bring it to life.”

“What an interesting perspective!” Miss Costa said merrily as she moved on to the next set of students. Once again, Isaac gets away with bullshitting his way through an assignment. Ray couldn’t help but laugh.

Everyone seemed louder than usual in the crowded halls after their last class finally ended. Most students were laughing and talking adamantly. The halls were covered with posters reminding everyone that there was a home football game Friday night. Beacon Hills usually only won two or three games a season, but no one went to the games to see their school win, they went for an excuse to hang out with their friends on a Friday night, eat nachos, and tell their parents the game went on longer so that they could cruise around with their friends for longer before heading home.

While Ray was collecting her gym bag from her locker, Stiles was narrowing his eyes at Isaac Lahey. Despite Stiles standing right next to Ray, Isaac unabashedly leaned against the locker on her other side to chat with her, almost acting as if Stiles didn’t exist.

“What are you doing after cheer practice?” Isaac asked the girl.

“Usually Stiles and I do homework but-“ Ray looked up at Stiles and asked, “You’re doing that thing with your dad tonight, right?”

Isaac quirked an eyebrow at her vagueness, but Stiles was thankful for it. He didn’t want Lahey up in his business. In fact, he really didn’t want Lahey in his general vicinity. That morning Ray had given him a solution to his jealously. Now seemed to be the perfect time to test it.

Stiles’s hand found its way to the small of Ray’s back as he responded, “Yeah, but we can always hang out after, sunshine.”

Then Stiles’s hand slide down to Ray’s ass and greedily took a handful. They had never been that kind of touchy in public before or even that much in private. Ray clutched her necklace and tried to keep a straight face even though her thoughts had instantly gone to someplace they really shouldn’t be while she was at school. Isaac rolled his eyes at the two.

“I was going to spend the night researching about what’s happening to all of us,” Ray said once she grounded herself.

“Maybe I can help. Call me after dinner?” Stiles leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He ended up getting a bit carried away and left kisses along her jaw then down her neck. Stiles didn’t stop until Isaac cleared his throat.

Isaac let out a breath of disgust as he watched Stiles leave, twirling his keys around in his hands like he was hot shit. Ray pressed the back of her fingers on her warm cheeks to cool herself down. She guiltily side eyed Isaac before finally asking him, “Was there something you wanted to do after I get out of cheer?”

“Yeah, actually. Lydia is taking Allison shooting in the preserve after cheer.”

“So what? You want to follow them?”

“Aren’t you worried about them? I mean, should they be in the woods alone when they are both experiencing hallucinations?”

“You want me to go with you to stalk your crush,” Ray said bluntly.

“She’s- she’s not my- Listen, it would be weird if I went alone.”

“It would still be weird if we were both stalking them.”

“It’s not stalking! It’s. . Making sure they’re okay.”

An hour and a half later, Ray was kicking at leaves while grumbling, “Can’t believe we are out here stalking your girlfriend when you could have just asked her if you could go with them.”

“It’s not stalking, and she’s not my girlfriend. Now, keep your voice down so I can listen for them,” Isaac hushed her.

Ray’s hand landed on a moss-covered tree trunk for balance. She gasped and brought her hand close to her chest before realizing the squishy wetness was just greenery. The woods were a place she usually found comforting and oddly romantic, but Ray was working on limited sleep and patience. After practice, she hadn’t even bothered to change out of her loose workout clothes. The shortening days of mid October were definitely teaching her a lesson tonight.

“That sounds awful stalker-y for a guy who insists following two girls into the woods isn’t creepy. And why isn’t she your girlfriend? What’s stopping you? Don’t you like her?”

Ray always wanted to know every little detail about Isaac’s life. At this point, he would have been less annoyed if he had dragged Stiles along on this exertion. Stiles wouldn’t constantly be prying Isaac about his feelings.

Knowing Ray wasn’t going to stop until she got her answer, Isaac begrudgingly admitted, “We might have this- thing going.”

“Okay, that’s good-“

“One time I climbed through her window. . she thought I was an intruder and tackled me then held a knife to my throat.”

“Okay, that’s- not so good. .”

“But I kind of liked it.“

“Wait,” Ray let out a laugh. “You what?”

“-But her ex-boyfriend is Scott who happens to be my friend, alpha, and foster brother. Scott's cool with me liking her- I think, but he's definitely not cool with me kissing her.”

“That’s- I have no advice for you, and now I understand why we are stalking them.”

“Not stalking.” Isaac paused and looked to his right. “You hear that?”

Ray stopped and listened. “If you’re referring to the birds and wind then-“ Isaac took off without her. “Hey! What are you-? Shit.”

The look on Isaac’s face as he dashed off had Ray feeling anxious that something terrible had happened to her friends. She chased after him, but he was taller and faster. By the time Ray made it to an open clearing, Isaac was already catching an arrow that was about to go through Lydia’s petrified face.

“Oh my god, Lydia,” Allison breathed out as she put her bow on the ground. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Ray ran over to hug Lydia and ask if she was okay. Lydia still had that astounded look on her face, like she couldn’t believe what just happened. The arrow had been an inch from hitting her.

“What were you two doing?” Ray reared her head around to glare at Allison. Isaac flinched at her change in tone.

“I- I don’t know. I thought I saw something and then- and then my aunt-“

“I saw her too,” Lydia whispered. She seemed like she was still processing her vision. “She’s supposed to be dead.”

“She is dead, Lydia. It was just a hallucination,” Ray reassured her.

Lydia tilted her head to the side. Her eyes flickered to Ray then Allison. “Are you sure?”

“I was at her funeral,” Allison said.

A chill seemed to run down Lydia’s spine. She shook away the feeling and all her spiraling thoughts. Now that she seemed okay, Ray felt bad for lashing out at Allison.

“Are you okay?” Ray called to the archer.

Allison nodded. To make everyone feel safer, Isaac picked up Allison’s weapons for her and offered to carry them back to her car. He led the way with Ray and Lydia not too far behind him. Allison lingered back, suddenly feeling the weight of what she could have just done.

“Do you think we’re able to change? My dad and I. . or are we just who we are?”

The other three stopped and turned to listen. Ray frowned when she saw the tears on Allison’s cheeks.

“Don’t you have a new code?” Isaac asked.

"Nous protégèons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes," Allison recited.

Ray looked to Lydia for the translation, “We protect those who cannot protect themselves."

“You’ve already changed,” Ray told Allison.

“Words are words. But what if I can’t change who I am? I come from a family that’s been killing for hundreds of years. What if it’s just in me to-?” She looked away, not able to handle seeing Lydia after what just happened.

“Your dad changed. He’s not working against us anymore.” Isaac said.

“Allison, you were manipulated by Gerard. You had just lost your mother, none of us blame you for that. That’s not who you are. If it was, you wouldn’t feel guilty about it,” Ray said.

Allison didn’t need to hear it from Isaac and Ray, though. She needed to hear it from her best friend, the girl she almost just killed. There was a deafening silence settling in the forest while Allison waited. Finally, Lydia felt everyone staring at her and realized she was mean to say something next, but all she could think about was that undead version of Kate coming at her from the hallucination. There was something off about it all, but Lydia couldn’t place it. She felt crazy, but she swore Kate wasn’t dead.

“Allison, if you saw what I saw then. . I don’t blame you for trying to protect yourself. You are not like Kate. People aren’t good because of nature, they are good because they want to be. If you want to be good, then be that.”

“I will be,” Allison promised.

They weren’t just being terrorized in their heads anymore. Whatever was happening to them was starting to threaten their real lives, whether that was Allison shooting an arrow at a friend or Isaac and Scott losing their control at school. It was only a matter of time before someone got hurt, really hurt. So much loss had already happened these past couple of months. They had to figure out a solution soon. Not a single one of them could handle losing anyone else.

The next morning, Ray was excited to report back to Stiles about the research she’d done. The proud smile on Stiles’s face was rewarding enough for the hours she spent surfing through unhelpful articles. He held open the classroom door for her and followed her in. He was so completely enamored by how excitedly she talked about all the ways she had learned to tell the difference between dreams and reality, that he didn’t give a single passing thought to the world around them.

“One way is you can look in a mirror! Things will look warped in a mirror, or you might not be able to see yourself at all.” Ray took her usual seat in class and Stiles sat in front of her. With all his attention on her, he hadn’t noticed that Scott didn’t follow them in. .

“What if there isn’t a mirror around?”

“Well, you could always look at your hands.” She beckoned for him to put his palms facing up. Her fingers traced the lines in his skin as she spoke, “In a dream, you might be able to stick your finger straight through the palm of your hand. And you usually have extra fingers in dreams. Maybe not at first, but if you look at your hands and think about it. . Then look away and come back. . Your hands will change.”

Stiles watched her fingers shamelessly brush over his hands for a minute before he looked away. That’s when he noticed the classroom was empty. They were completely alone. He frantically glanced around the room to make sure they were in Coach’s classroom before looking back to Ray. She was still humming and playing with his hands.

“Where is everyone?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re-“ Stiles pulled his hands away from the girl and turned to the front of the class. Now the room was full of students in their designated seats. Coach was looking right at him, annoyed he hadn’t been paying attention. “Sorry, Coach. Thought I was in the wrong class for a second . .”

Instead of calling him out like usual, Coach raised his hands then started moving them in this odd, repeating pattern. Unsure of what it meant, Stiles nervously said, “Um Okay. I don't actually know sign language. Actually, I didn't even know that you knew sign language. . or that that was even an elective here.”

Had he stepped into the wrong classroom? Wasn’t it second period? He always had Econ second period with Scott, Danny, Ray. . Where were they? Stiles looked around the room to see if everyone else was just as confused as him by the sudden use of sign language. Ray was gone. No one around him looked familiar, and they were all staring at him, doing that same repeating pattern with their hands. Slowly, Stiles got up from his desk. No one broke eye contact with him.

“Well, this has been good, I'm probably gonna, uh, head out,” he said awkwardly. As he passed by Coach, the teacher got aggressively close to his face with the signing. Stiles backed up into a bookshelf. The mild worry in his chest was now overwhelming and terrifying. How had he gotten there? He remembered walking into class with Ray.

A loud whistle made Stiles gasp and look up. He was seated at his usual desk with Coach staring at him in annoyance.

“Stilinski!” Finstock yelled.

Stiles stuttered, “Uh-huh?”

“I asked you a question.”

“Uh- sorry, Coach. What was it?”

“It was ‘Stilinski, are you paying attention back there?’”

“Oh,” Stiles blushed. “Well, I am now.”

The class collectively laughed at his antics. Finstock wasn’t finding it as funny, instead mumbling, “Stilinski, stop reminding me why I drink- Every night. Does anybody else want to try the question on the board?”

On his left, Scott was watching over Stiles with a pitiful look. Stiles sighed and insisted, “I'm okay. I just fell asleep for a second.”

“Dude, you weren't asleep. . And I don’t think she is either,” Scott said, nodding to the seat behind Stiles. Raymona was mindlessly sketching a gritty image of a door cracked open. The harder Stiles looked at the image, the more he felt like he was falling.

With Stiles clearly in some sort of shock, Scott took it upon himself to nudge Ray and get her to come out of whatever trance she was in. She flinched and blinked a couple of times before catching sight of Scott and smiling fondly.

“Sorry, guess I’m just tired from researching last night,” she admitted.

An eerie sense of dread washed over Stiles. He looked down at his hands and counted ten fingers. At least he knew he was awake now.

During lunch, Scott suggested they all sit outside to have slightly more privacy than the cafeteria. Across from Ray, Lydia was looking over the notes Ray had taken about near-death experiences the night before. Ray was doing her best to recite all she had learned from memory since she was having a hard time focusing on her notebook recently.

“Did you know that a lack of oxygen for more than three minutes can result in brain damage?”

“Well, they were in the water for sixteen hours,” Isaac mumbled.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Stiles said.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you already had enough brain damage to not even notice,” Isaac fired back, earning a disappointed look from Scott.

Just looking at Isaac’s face almost made Stiles want to jump across the table until Ray put a hand on his knee, distracting Stiles momentarily. Safe for now, Lahey.

Ray went on, “But sometimes people with near-death experiences can be pronounced dead for an hour and come back with no damage. I think whatever Deaton had us do protected you guys from that, but what you guys said about the white room and the Nemeton did sound like some sort of afterlife. Sometimes people can end up in a heavenly realm where everything is good and happy and-“

“Blissful,” Lydia added, reading that section of Ray’s notes.

“Exactly, but then there could be a hellish realm full of well. . whatever terrors of the night haunt you, I guess.”

“Okay, so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it still seeing those things?” Scott asked.

“And is unable to tell what's real or not?” Stiles regretfully added.

“And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?” Allison said, looking to Ray for an answer.

Ray swallowed thickly. She really didn’t want to let her friends down, but, “Guess I didn’t get that far with my research.”

Isaac spoke up to pull the attention off Ray, “I’ll tell you: they're all locked up because they're insane.”

“Ha. Can you at least try to be helpful, please?” Stiles asked him.

“For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer. So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me.” Isaac squinted at Stiles, daring him to challenge that. Scott put his head in his hands.

“Okay, dude, really? Are you still milking that?”

“Be nice,” Ray said as she squeezed Stiles’s thigh while Isaac defended himself, “Yeah, maybe I am still milking that.”

“Hi,” a sweet new voice broke up the arguing. All eyes shifted to Kira Yukimura who smiled nervously at all the attention. Randomly approaching the pretty, popular but also somehow very mysterious kids in her grade wasn’t how she had planned to make friends. In fact, Kira was going to sit at a lunch table with a group of sophomores she saw talking about comic books, but despite how intimidating these juniors in front of her seemed. . they were openly discussing topics Kira had never seen other teens talk about at school before. There would always be sophomores talking about comic books to make friends with, but how often would she come across the opportunity to talk about near-dear experiences with a group of people who should seriously consider modeling?

“Hello,” the girl Kira had seen carry three backpacks yesterday smiled kindly at her.

That’s when Kira realized she hadn’t been talking. Everyone was just watching her that whole time she was inner monologuing, waiting for her to speak.

“Hi, sorry. I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about. And I think I actually might know what you're talking about.”

Everyone at the table shifted uncomfortably and shared worried looks. The backpack girl now asked, “You do?”

“There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called ‘Bardo.’ It literally means ‘in-between state.’ The state between life and death.”

“Write that down, write that down,” the backpack girl whispered to the boy she was practically sitting on top of.

The red head spoke up, “And what do they call you?”

“Kira,” a boy with dark hair on the other side of the table said, “She's in our History class.”

The girl who said hello scooted even closer to the boy on her left to make room for Kira on the bench. Kira hesitantly took the seat. Adrenaline rushed through her whole body with all eyes still on her. But someone knew her name! Well- that was because her dad embarrassed her in front of the whole class, but that boy remembered.

Maybe making new friends wasn’t going to be as hard as Kira feared.

“Welcome to Beacon Hills, Kira. I’m Raymona and this is Lydia, Allison, Isaac, Scott, who you already seem to know, and Stiles.”

“So, Kira from History class,” Lydia said, “Are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?”

“Either, I guess. But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities.”

“Wrathful deities? And what are those?” Isaac asked.

“Like demons,” Kira clarified.

“Demons,” Stiles said with a huff of disbelief, “Why not?”

Allison leaned forward on the table, “Hold on, if there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?”

“Death. You die,” Kira saw everyone’s grave expressions then quickly added, “But it’s all. . It’s all just one belief about life after death, you know? Not like any of you guys have had near-death experiences lately- right?”

Raymona laughed. “Oh god, that would just be. .crazy. Hey! Have you seen the football field yet?”

“N-no?”

“There’s still ten minutes before class. Why don’t I show you where to sit in the bleachers Friday? There is this one spot that we always throw the most candy to during the slow moments. You know the one I’m talking about, right, Lyds?”

“The lower left side?” Lydia offered.

“Exactly! Yup! Let me show you it, Kira.”

As Kira got up, Ray underlined the phrase “wrathful deities” multiple times on Stiles’s notebook, silently letting him know he better start looking that up right away. Once the two girls were gone, the rest of the group let out a collective sigh. Allison instantly started googling Bardo on her phone. Scott took Ray’s notebook from Lydia to read it over.

“Do they really throw more candy on the lower left side?” Isaac said hopefully.

Lydia glared at him. “Apparently we will be starting to Friday as a cover story.”

“We need a better meeting place. We can’t risk other people overhearing us like that,” Stiles said. He nervously chewed on his pencil as he watched his girlfriend talk adamantly with the new girl in the distance.

“That was a close call,” Allison agreed.

“Maybe we can meet at the lacrosse field next time? No one’s there this time of year,” Isaac offered. He looked to Scott for approval.

Scott just shrugged and said, “Wasn’t that bad. Kira helped out, and she seems nice.”

Stiles licked his lips and suggestively raised his eyebrows. Scott brought the notebook higher up to cover his face, suddenly not wanting Allison to see him. He wasn’t sure of much, but he knew he was thankful that Ray pulled Kira away from the group so quickly. They shouldn’t be dragging more people into this.

That afternoon Stiles and Scott went to Deaton for help. The vet was able to translate the sign language from Stiles’s dream but other than that his advice wasn’t much help. Apparently, they had to close some door into their minds. Problem was, Stiles was pretty sure he knew exactly what door Deaton was talking about, and he had already gone through it despite Ray’s pleas during that dream for him to just go back to bed.

Then Stiles’s dad showed up wanting Scott’s help with a case. Stiles couldn’t help but feel bitter. He didn’t have special abilities to help his dad. All Stiles had was his limited knowledge about the supernatural, and by now, he had caught his father up on mostly everything. Lately Stiles wanted to know more. He could barely focus on school because of whatever was affecting him and his friends. The only way he knew how to help was researching everything he could about it, but how could he do that when he lost the ability to read whenever he was even slightly stressed? And knowing a door to his mind was open and there was nothing he could do about it? Super stressful.

The sun started to paint a dark orange glow across the boy’s desk which meant Stiles and Ray’s minutes together were dwindling. Every day was shorter the closer they got to winter. Because of how bad the dreams had been this week, the two hadn’t even asked each other if one wanted to sneak out and stay with the other. Their only moments alone together were doing homework in silence. And while Stiles appreciated every moment Ray spent with him on her busy schedule, he couldn’t help but miss her. Even now when she was five feet away.

Stiles looked over his shoulder at the girl sitting against his headboard. Ray was concentrating deeply on whatever was on his iPad, he assumed she was studying the SAT vocab app he had, or maybe googling answers to their history homework. They had just started learning about World War II, a topic Mr Yukimura seemed like he could go on forever about. Stiles doubted he was the type of teacher to steal his homework questions from the internet.

“Which one are you one?” Stiles asked as he flipped through his textbook.

“Hm?”

“The history homework, did you need help or something?”

“Oh, I gave up on that. But hey, check this out, ‘According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, all the wrathful deities appear in order to purify awareness of false thinking, ignorance, and delusion. If you are able to recognize the deities by name and see through them as mere illusions, they instantly lose their power over your consciousness and you achieve liberation/enlightenment. .’ See? There is a way to overcome it like Deaton said.”

Stiles abandoned his homework at his desk to look at the iPad with her. As he pushed her homework out of the way to sit on the bed, he noticed she had only filled out a couple of problems. “Have you not been working this whole time?”

Not wanting to answer his question, Ray read on, “‘However, any kind of reaction to them that is caused by fear brings you one step closer to rebirth.’ I should have stopped while I was ahead. .”

He took the iPad from her and let out a low whistle as he scrolled through all the tabs she had open. “Thought you didn’t like researching? You said it was my special interest, not yours, and once you even said you shouldn’t have to work because you’re pretty. Remember that?”

“And was I wrong?”

“No, which is why I’m worried you barely started your homework even though I have to take you home soon. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about all those notes you took about near-death experiences.” Stiles locked the iPad and set it on his nightstand, out of Ray’s reach.

Now she had to speak. But what was going on in Ray’s head was almost too terrifying to verbalize. His hand slipped in hers to comfort her. How much was she willing to admit? One look in his honey eyes and she was letting it all out on the line.

“Whatever is going on affects you more than me. You’re always the one researching something so that you feel prepared for whatever is happening and- I know it’s been hard for you to focus with your reading being fucked over, so I thought I’d try and be helpful for once, you know? Do the reading for you. . That way you can piece it all together and figure out what’s going on like you always do.” Stiles was giving her a stupid, goofy smile that had her second-guessing everything, “Oh god- this all sounds so lame now that I’m saying it out loud.”

“No, it’s sweet. My girlfriend is so sweet.” He planted a quick kiss in her cheek before she could cover her face out of embarrassment. That didn’t stop him from kissing her arms and hands.

“Quit it. I’m not sweet. I’m _sweaty_ from practice.”

“Sweet and salty. Just like all my favorite candies.”

Ray laughed. “You’ve lost your mind.”

His smile faltered. He had yet to tell her about the theory about the door from his dream. When he saw Ray drawing that door in class earlier, it made everything feels so. . Real. He had told her what Deaton said about everyone have to close that door to their minds, but he hadn’t brought up the dream. Stiles feared that if they discovered they had the same dream, that would solidify the meaning behind it. He went through that door. It's too late for him.

“Freckles? I lost you there for a second.” Ray had started rubbing between his shoulder blades.

Stiles quickly snapped back to his cheery self. “Hm? Ready to head home?”

As he tried to get up from the bed, she tugged him back into place beside her. A sense of deja vu washed over both of them. His cracked bedroom door seemed to haunt them. Maybe if he faced his fear of talking to Ray, the door wouldn’t seem so scary.

“I think I- I think I did something bad. . .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of POV switch in this chapter to purposely confuse you. All these characters have a lot going on in their heads. I kind of wanted to have you feel a bit overwhelmed too? Hopefully, it worked and it didn't just feel like shitty writing lol. I've played a bit with switching whose head we are in before, but never to this extent. I won't be writing like this again unless of course Ray becomes unreliable at some point and we have to start watching through the eyes of someone else. . .  
> I was missing school scenes until this episode happened. The hallucinations for the main three were interesting to rewatch but other than that this episode felt so. .bland? I just felt like I was writing school scene after school scene. . . But we were introduced to Kira! yay! and next chapter we get Malia!  
> I hope you are all having a good week! And thanks for reading!! (: xx


End file.
